RICHARD ARMIGER WINS INVEST IN OTHERS CATALYST AWARD BALTIMORE FINANCIAL ADVISOR EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR WORK WITH IRONHEART FOUNDATION
Newton, MA – November 2, 2015 – Richard Armiger, Vice President and Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley in Baltimore, MD, won the 2015 Invest in Others Catalyst Award, one of six categories of awards presented on September 30 at the ninth annual Community Leadership Awards Gala in New York City. Armiger earned the honor for his philanthropic work with the Ironheart Foundation, which will receive a $20,000 donation from the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation.
Invest in Others received hundreds of nominations for the Community Leadership Awards this year. Winners were selected based on their leadership, dedication, contribution, inspiration, and impact on a non-profit and the community it serves.
“The Invest in Others Community Leadership Awards showcases the selfless efforts of financial advisors to improve their communities. Rick Armiger’s personal tragedy, the loss of his infant son to a congenital heart defect, served as a catalyst for him to start an organization to make a significant difference in the lives of those with heart disease. Rick and the other advisors honored this year represent the very best of the financial services industry,” said Megan McAuley, Executive Director and President of Invest in Others.
Armiger’s calling to volunteer stems from the loss of his infant child, Emerson, who died tragically due to a congenital heart defect. Subsequently, Armiger has been a catalyst for two nonprofits in a dynamic, sustainable way over the past 15 years making a difference in the lives of those living with heart disease. As a founding member of the University of Maryland Hospital’s Board of Visitors, and chair from 2004-09, he changed the Board’s focus to fundraising which helped ignite much-needed programs that have funded the purchase of state-of-the art equipment, family counseling and construction of a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
In 2005, Armiger was approached by David Watkins, who flat-lined after undergoing open heart surgery, to execute his vision to found the Ironheart Foundation. What began as two friends on a mission to make a difference has become the largest community in the world of athletic minded cardiac patients, healthcare professionals, family and friends dedicated to making the world heart-smart and heart-healthy. Ironheart Foundation includes members from 48 states and 19 countries participating in more than 1,600 athletic events annually. Armiger spends approximately 700 hours annually volunteering with University of Maryland’s Board of Visitors as well as serving as an active member of Ironheart Foundation’s Board of Directors, authoring Ironheart Foundation’s “Kickstart Your Heart” fundraiser, providing strategic consultation and representing the charity around the globe competing in Ironman triathlons. Ironheart Foundation’s impact has been far-reaching – linking more than 600 cardiac patients with leading specialists and placing life-saving Automatic External Defibrillators in places of need. In 2015, the organization will launch Ironheart Academy becoming a leader in cardiac education and will release a documentary: “HEART: Flatline to Finish Line,” for which Armiger served as an advisor.
Ironheart President and Executive Director David Watkins said, “The time and service Rick puts in to the Ironheart organization has allowed us to grow and expand well beyond my expectations. He continues to push us in ways that allow Ironheart to provide resources and inspiration across the world."
“What started as such a tragic, horrific event as a parent turned into something that has been a never-ending source of pride, joy and happiness. The people that I’ve met through Ironheart and the Children's Hospital are heroes with what they’ve been able to do with their lives and it inspires me to no end,” said Armiger. “Rick personifies Morgan Stanley’s principle of giving back to the communities in which we live and work,” said Morgan Stanley Baltimore Complex Director Scott Boylan.
