Co-Chairs:  
Martin Nance, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Minnesota Vikings 
Meka Morris, Former Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club

On behalf of M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital and the University of Minnesota's Department of Pediatrics, we invite you to join us at WineFest No. 27 - A Toast to Children's Health. We’re honored to serve as WineFest Honorary Chairs in a community that has welcomed us and inspired us by its giving spirit. 

In 2020, we both moved to the Twin Cities to take on leadership roles with Minnesota’s favorite home teams. That’s how we first got to know one another. The second way was by attending WineFest. Both of us were impressed, not only by this noble cause, but by the team of people championing this effort and the children receiving the best of care at Masonic Children’s Hospital. We knew instantly that we wanted to be part of this. 

Since then, we’ve both joined the M Health Fairview Philanthropic Board, piggybacking on the longtime efforts of our teams, but also signing on out of our personal desire to give back. As a parent [Martin has two daughters and Meka is expecting her first child this summer], you just want your kids to be happy and healthy. So to see families dealing with significant health challenges is moving — you want to help.

Additionally, we know that as Black executives, we stand out in the rooms we sit in. We view that as a strength and we lean into that. Our approach to WineFest is no different. We’re bringing our full selves to this worthy cause and aiming to take No. 27 all the way! When attending the events during the weekend, you may see more athletes who you recognize, you may hear a few more names that ring a bell, and you may find yourself bidding on auction lots that come along once in a lifetime. That’s on purpose. Our WineFest team plans to win big this year — with creativity, energy and style. What can we say? We’re competitive. 

It’s natural for us to lean into the idea of team. But it truly does take a team to save the life of a child. It takes the patient’s family, putting their trust in M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital. It takes physician-scientists who offer kind hearts and thoughtful words at patients’ bedsides plus life-saving treatments, often developed right here at the University of Minnesota. It takes numerous nurses who provide round-the-clock care. It takes care managers, social workers, pharmacists, physical therapists, Child Life specialists, and countless others. And it takes all of us in the community to reach our goal of $2 million dollars in support of children’s health — treatments, technologies, even cures. This team can change lives and outcomes for children here in Minnesota and around the world. 

We’re all in this together — let’s go!