Photos Provided John Ratiaczak speaks as people attend a past Ohio Valley Heart Ball event to raise awareness for heart health and celebrate heart disease survivors. This year’s ball is set for Feb. 22.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The American Heart Association will celebrate heart disease survivors and bring awareness to heart health in the Ohio Valley at the 2025 Heart Ball.

The annual event will be from 6:30 p.m. to midnight Feb. 22 at Belmont Hills Country Club, 47080 National Road, St. Clairsville.

Tickets are available online at ahapittsburgh.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/2024-2025OhioValleyHeartBall/tabid/1489621/Default.aspx.

An individual ticket costs $175, a couple’s ticket $225 and a premier host ticket is $275. All funds raised by the ball will go to the American Heart Association.

To contribute without attending, donate through the link on the website.

“Together we are relentlessly focused on the heart of our community,” according to the website. “Through the Heart of Ohio Valley Heart Ball campaign, we celebrate our collective success in driving change, funding science and improving health outcomes for everyone, everywhere. That means taking our efforts beyond the ballroom, working every day to help the heart.”

The ball is a long-standing tradition in the Ohio Valley, hosted at the Belmont County Country Club, according to development Director Lauren Thomas. She described it as a night with live music, a live band, silent auction and opportunities to donate during the event.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” Thomas said. “It’s very unique to the Ohio Valley.”

Thomas has been with the American Heart Association for the past three years, but she said the committee that helped plan the event that has been going on for 30 years has a passion and drive behind heart health and awareness of heart disease and stroke, so it’s important to them to put the heart ball together.

“Their drive and passion behind heart health and awareness of heart disease and stroke has been a long-standing tradition for the community, and it’s just grown to be an event that Belmont County and the surrounding areas love to be a part of,” she noted.

Thomas added there is a lot of love for the event within the community, which is really special for her to see.

Everybody is welcome to attend the heart ball, and the goal is to celebrate survivors and have a great time, Thomas said.

Along with the American Heart Association, a plethora of sponsors will also be represented at the ball. These include signature sponsor The Health Plan, WVU Medicine and WesBanco.

Local community members, several doctors from Trinity Health System and WVU Medicine staff members, specifically from the cardiology department, will be there as well.

“So it’s just a night to come together and celebrate survivors and just bring awareness to heart disease and what we can do to make a difference,” Thomas said.