Two people who shaped cardiac care on the Main Line will be celebrated at a September fundraiser benefiting Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood.

The John B. Deaver Auxiliary of the Lankenau Medical Center Women's Board will host "Celebration for a Cause" on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown. Co-chairs Joan Hindin and Kathleen O'Connor-Eicke are organizing the evening, which raises money to expand Lankenau's cardiac services.

The gala honors Alfred W. Putnam Jr., who has served 30 years as chairman of the Lankenau Medical Center Foundation Board. Putnam is listed as chairman and trustee, overseeing a foundation with more than $551 million in total assets as of its most recent tax filing. The evening will include a birthday dessert tribute in his honor.

Also being recognized is Dr. Maribel Hernandez, co-founder and medical director of the Lankenau Heart Institute's Women's Heart Initiative. Hernandez has practiced cardiology for 30 years and spent more than 25 of those on the Main Line Health System medical staff, specializing in heart rhythm disorders.

"Even today, not all healthcare providers are aware that heart disease risk factors and symptoms may differ between men and women," Hernandez said in a WomenHeart Foundation profile. "It's very important for women to know these differences and talk to their doctors about being evaluated for heart disease."

Under Hernandez's leadership, the Women's Heart Initiative launched "Heart to Heart Conversations," an emotional support group for women living with heart disease that Lankenau describes as the first of its kind in the Philadelphia area. She trained at Yale, Stanford and Harvard before completing her cardiology fellowship at Lankenau, and received the WomenHeart 2024 Wenger Award for Excellence in Clinical Practice. Lankenau's cardiac program earned the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' top three-star rating in October 2025.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction and a DJ. Dinner stations open at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at events.org/es/JBDCelebration26, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 484-476-2139. Lankenau Medical Center is located at 100 E. Lancaster Ave. in Wynnewood.