Melissa Cummings of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island received the Lifetime Legacy Award and Carrie Bridges Feliz of Lifespan received the Cheryl W. Snead Servant Leader Award at the 2024 Southern New England Go Red for Women Luncheon
The American Heart Association is pleased to announce that Melissa Cummings, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island received the Leadership Legacy Award. In addition, Carrie Bridges Feliz, Vice President of Community Health and Equity at Lifespan received the Cheryl W. Snead Servant Leader Award.
The Leadership Legacy Award recognizes current and alumni volunteers of the American Heart Association for exceptional service and contributions to the Eastern States region over a significant period. Melissa Cummings served for six years as a board member for Southern New England, and as a board member on the Eastern States Board. Cummings also previously served as a Go Red for Women Chair in 2017.
“Melissa Cummings has been a champion for all things heart health for almost a decade,” said Executive Director Michelle Clark. “She played a pivotal role in creating a powerful program, Heart2Heart Storytellers, that has helped spread awareness in the fight against cardiovascular disease in women.”
The Heart2Heart Storytellers feature the stories of several local women across Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, who have experienced heart disease and stroke, and are courageously sharing their journey to help other women. Each of these inspiring women stand for the Go Red for Women campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the leading causes of death in women – heart attack and stroke – and supports the annual Southern New England Go Red for Women Luncheon. Sponsor of the luncheon and the Heart2Heart Storyteller Campaign, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI), honors the generous and powerful act of these women by making a $25,000 contribution to the luncheon in the name of the Heart2Heart survivors.
Also awarded at the luncheon was Carrie Bridges Feliz, Vice President of Community Health and Equity at Lifespan. Carrie received the 2024 Cheryl W. Snead Servant Leader Award. This award has been presented annually since 2019 to a Rhode Island based professional who works under a philosophy and set of practices that enriches lives, builds better organizations and creates a more just and caring world. Named in honor of the late, Cheryl Watkins Snead, who was a beloved and successful businessperson, American Heart Association board member, community leader, mentor and a compassionate servant leader.
“Carrie has truly moved the needle towards a healthier community that we work, live and play in,” said Michelle Clark. “Through her leadership in the community, she exhibits the dedication, passion and humanity that is highly deserving of this recognition.”
Carrie’s work as the Vice President of Community Health Equity at Lifespan has been so important as she and her team work to improve health access for under resourced populations and mitigate social determinates of health.
On February 9th, 2024, Go Red for Women Luncheon guests rallied at the heart-healthy event and raised over $480,000 to save and improve women’s lives by advancing fair research and care, advocating for inclusive health policies and raising awareness of women’s number one health threat, cardiovascular disease (CVD). For more information or to make a donation, visit heart.org/snegored or contact event director Frank Maher at [email protected].