New award named for longtime champion of women survivors of heart disease

American Heart Association unveiled the Joanne Donaruma Wade Women’s Health Award at 2025 Go Red for Women Luncheon

UTICA, N.Y., July 11, 2025 – In 2016, Joanne Donaruma Wade helped bring together the first survivor class to be featured at the Mohawk Valley Go Red for Women Luncheon. Since then, she has continued to support women who live with heart disease and stroke, continuing to create survivor classes. When the pandemic struck, she shifted her focus to hosting the quarterly meetings at Delmonico’s Italian Steakhouse and helped them videotape their stories to submit to the American Heart Association’s national call for a Go Red class of survivors.

She has also served as logistics chair for the annual Mohawk Valley Go Red for Women Luncheon. As a result of Donaruma Wade’s passion for Go Red, her aunt, Elvira Marotta, left a bequest of more than $70,000 to the Go Red for Women movement.

At the 2025 Go Red for Women Luncheon, Donaruma Wade was stunned that a new award had been named for her, and that she was the first recipient.

Every year, the Joanne Donaruma Wade Women’s Health Award will recognize a community member who has supported the American Heart Association’s fight to improve heart and brain health for women in the Mohawk Valley.

“As you could see by the look on my face when the award was announced, I was truly overwhelmed,” Donaruma Wade said. “I’m humbly grateful. There were so many deserving people in the room. This is such an honor.”

“The first thing that Joanne brings to anything she’s involved with is an incredibly positive, can-do attitude, which inspires everyone around her,” said Amy DeMetri, chair of the board of directors of the American Heart Association in the Mohawk Valley. “Her support of the survivors is a reminder to all of us of why we do this work. We are all fighting heart disease in women so we can create more survivors. When these women share their stories, we’re all reminded that heart disease isn’t just statistics, it’s people.”

Donaruma Wade has found that working with the women who have survived heart disease or stroke inspires her.

She had been the logistics chair of the Go Red for Women Luncheon and chaired the event in 2016. She worked with then-Development Director Anne Sullivan on the first survivor class, a group of women whose stories were shared at the Luncheon itself. The survivor classes continued until the pandemic, but Donaruma Wade continues to embrace and nurture the survivor group which consists of about 30 local women.

“The survivors are strong women; they are strong of mind and strong of body,” Donaruma Wade said. “They refer to their group as a sisterhood, and they stand together and support one another. They make me realize how important it is to never feel alone at any challenging time in our life.”

The role of the survivors at the Luncheon is an important reminder to women throughout the Mohawk Valley that heart disease can affect anyone, Donaruma Wade said.

“When they talk about surviving, it reminds all of us women that we need to take better care of ourselves,” she said. “We need to remain heart healthy in our daily lives and to know our numbers. Because of the survivors, we know not to bypass any discomfort as stress, as that pain could be a sign of heart disease.”

Working with the survivors and receiving the award are the inspirations for her work with the American Heart Association, where she is currently a board member.

“The Heart Association’s belief in my abilities motivates me to want to work harder to empower women to share their stories to save lives,” she said.

Donaruma Wade grew up in Utica, one of 10 children, graduated from Proctor High School and Utica College.

She worked for 37 years at the ARC Oneida-Lewis Chapter. After retiring, Donaruma Wade joined several local boards and volunteer committees, including The Kelberman Center, SUNY Poly, Sitrin Health Care, New Hartford Public Library and MVCC . She and her husband John live in New Hartford. Donaruma Wade has two children, Michael and Alexa.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, on Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

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