The Michael P. Fisher CICU at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center

Heart defects are the most common birth defect in the United States. Approximately one in every 100 newborns has a congenital heart defect, and thousands more children will develop heart conditions later in life. The Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center Michael P. Fisher Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) is dedicated to treating little hearts. The Children’s Sibley Heart Center is ranked among the top five pediatric cardiac programs in the nation by Parents magazine and in the top 10 by U.S. News & World Report.

When Manheim attorney Michael Fisher, a partner at Dow Lohnes, was killed 12 years ago in a plane crash at the age of 42, both Manheim and his family wanted to find a way to memorialize him, the life he led and the values he held. The family chose to "adopt" the CICU at Children's because both Michael and his daughter, Stuart, had childhood heart problems. The Michael P. Fisher Endowment was created.

Ten years later, thanks to the Heart to Hearts program, Manheim employees, vendors and partners have raised more than $5.6 million for the Michael P. Fisher Endowment Fund and CICU. The funds have been used to build a new 28-bed unit, provide cardiac research, purchase state-of-the-art medical equipment, acquire educational and emotional resources, offer family conveniences and entertainment, and send patient kids to camp.

Read on to see how you can partner with Manheim on its Heart to Hearts program and touch the lives of countless patients and their families, allowing the Unit's staff to focus on healthcare, not fundraising.

A Dynamic Man

Manheim's Heart to Hearts program was founded in memory of Michael P. Fisher, the company's lead attorney and partner at Dow, Lohnes & Albertson, who was killed in a plane crash in 1998. The program was created to help Manheim employees, customers and vendors raise funds and collect donated items for the Michael P. Fisher Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center.

According to his many friends and colleagues, Mike Fisher is best described as a respected counselor and dedicated family man. Honest, competitive and caring, Mike was able to balance a successful professional career and his role as devoted husband and father. At the age of 42, Mike's life was cut short, leaving behind his wife Nancy, daughter Stuart and son Peter, and saddening a community that was so often touched by his kindness and generosity.

A friend to many, dedicated coach and active volunteer, Mike loved children. It was only fitting that Mike's friends, family and colleagues join together to create the Michael P. Fisher Endowment Fund, which benefits the Michael P. Fisher CICU at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center. With the help of Manheim's Heart to Hearts program, the foundation was permanently endowed in 1999.

Mike's family is intimately involved with the Heart to Hearts program and the CICU named in his memory and help determine where the funds so generously raised will be best spent. From video games to state-of-the-art cribs, the Fisher family continues to honor Mike through their work at Children's.