Karen Heintz is co-founder of the Cancer Center Council’s highly successful Partners Shopping Card fundraiser.
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Karen Heintz, a longtime member of the Cancer Center Council (CCC), a nonprofit volunteer organization that supports the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at the UT Health Science Center, recently was presented the San Antonio Business Journal’s Volunteer Award.

Heintz, whose award was announced in the Sept. 4 edition of the journal, is a former president of the council, a new member of CTRC’s Board of Governors and co-founder of the council’s highly successful Partners Shopping Card, which will once again raise funds for the CTRC during the annual October shopping event.

Heintz proposed the Partners Shopping Card
Heintz joined the CCC in 1999 as a member the board of trustees, and at her first meeting proposed the highly effective Partners Shopping Card, which has raised more than $1.3 million for CTRC over the past nine years. This year’s shopping event will benefit CTRC’s Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinic.

“Karen is responsible for the Partners Shopping Card program coming to the CCC, which is one of the most successful programs ever associated with the CCC,” said Lori Wright, who served as president-elect during Heintz’s year as president. “She has dedicated herself to this program and its continuation. Without her dedication and work ethic, a program such as this would never have been so successful.”

Louise Beldon, president of the CCC when Heintz joined, added, “Not only has Karen brought innovative programs to the CCC, she has stepped forward to lead. She went on to accept other major roles, including the presidency and chair of the Lecture Luncheon. Karen does not give up in her determined support of the mission of the CCC.”

Personal link to cancer
The CCC, which supports CTRC through cancer education, community outreach, fundraising and patient assistance, is even closer to Heintz’s heart now than when she first joined.

“I joined the Cancer Center Council to try to make a difference in the fight against cancer,” Heintz said. “After a brief period of time on the board, our daughter was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer and one year later my husband was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It makes you aware of how many families are touched by cancer. I realize that although I was motivated to serve with the Cancer Center Council before, my reasons have become much more personal.”

Heintz’s strong commitment has been recognized by the council with its 2002 Volunteer of the Year award. She was elected council president in 2004 and this month joined the CTRC’s Board of Governors.