A chance reunion between high school friends from Ohio led to a longtime fundraising partnership with Betty’s Foundation to support Alzheimer’s research
ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, CA (September 15, 2017) — “It was a truly serendipitous moment,” said Heather Petersen of her chance reunion with the founders of Betty’s Foundation 10 years ago in Burbank, California. This chance meeting led to a nine-year partnership that has generated huge contributions toward the cause of eliminating Alzheimer’s disease.
Petersen is the founder and CEO of National Merchants Association, a leading company in the payments industry and a key contributor to many charitable causes in the Temecula Valley and around the country.
“Karah and Clint went to my high school in Eaton, Ohio, and we found out that we both lived in Southern California,” Petersen said. “We started hanging out after that; and then when they told me about the unique musical event they were creating to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research, I knew I had to be a lead sponsor.”
The event is called Remember the Music — an annual live concert festival featuring well known artists such as Branches, Bjorn and the Sun, Elijah Ocean, the Hopeful Giants, and Earthworm Ensemble. This year’s festival takes place on Sept. 23 at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates.
“All of these acts are great and have agreed to play for free to support this cause — and many of the members of these groups have been personally touched by the effects of Alzheimer’s,” Petersen said. “This is also a disease that has affected my family, so it hits close to home in many ways.”
The Woesner family formed Betty’s Foundation in honor of their grandmother who battled Alzheimer’s for more than 16 years before passing away in 2012. They have vowed to continue raising money to support research into a cure — and Remember the Music is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the foundation.
“This festival is always a great time and a great event. I’m honored to be able to help friends from my hometown and sponsor it for all these years,” Petersen said. “Giving back is something that is very important to me, personally, and very important to all of us at NMA.”
Petersen’s involvement with Remember the Music and Betty’s Foundation inspired her to create a nonprofit-supporting initiative at National Merchants Association called “Give-It-Back”. In this program, businesses can ask National Merchants Association to donate up to 50% of their merchant processing fees to the nonprofit of their choice.
“Remember the Music is certainly the muse for all we’ve done for nonprofits since that chance meeting 10 years ago, and that’s why this event so near and dear to my heart,” Petersen said.
Remember the Music is part of Rolling Hills Estates’ City Celebration taking place all day, starting at 9 a.m., and featuring food trucks, local breweries, arts and crafts, silent auction, pony rides, petting zoo, hay jumping pit, equestrian events, and more. Admission to the City Celebration is free.
The live concerts begin at 1:30 p.m. and a silent auction will take place throughout the day. Tickets are required for the concerts and are $15 for Lawn Seating. Children age 12 are admitted free.
VIP tickets are available for $45 (adults) and $15 (kids) and includes a catered meal and beverage ticket with table and chair seating under the shade of the elevated VIP tent. VIP Parking is available for $10.
For more information on the concert or to purchase tickets, visit www.rememberthemusic.org.
Event Information:
Remember the Music 2017
When: 1:30 p.m. Sept. 23
Where: Ernie Howlett Park, 25851 Hawthorne Blvd. Rolling Hills Estates, CA
Tickets: $15-$45
Info: www.rememberthemusic.org, www.bettysfoundation.org
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About National Merchants Association
National Merchants Association is a global merchant advocacy group and a leader in merchant services dedicated to helping merchants and agent partners grow their businesses by generating sales opportunities and maximizing profits. National Merchants Association works on behalf of businesses to eliminate the unnecessary and unreasonable fees associated with accepting electronic transactions, and provides the products and services to help them succeed. Visit www.NationalMerchants.com or call 866-509-7199.
About Betty’s Foundation
Betty’s Foundation for the Elimination of Alzheimer’s Disease is a family operated nonprofit organization that was established in December 2008. Their mission is to eradicate this disease by raising funds for the most innovative and progressive research programs in the country and educate families and raise overall awareness of the difficulties faced by those dealing with the disease. Visit www.bettysfoundation.org for more information.