The Heatstrings Award

The UMDF Heartstrings Award recognizes a child or teen that has donated or raised funds for the UMDF, enabling the UMDF to continue its mission. The winner is chosen based on related criteria of age, time invested, talents demonstrated, effectiveness, and generosity and how the individual has “tugged at the heartstrings.”

We are proud to recognize Jack Ebert as the 2025 Heartstrings Award recipient.

Jack will be a senior next year at Oratory Prep in New Jersey. His involvement with UMDF and the mitochondrial disease community began when his little sister, Anna, was diagnosed with Alpers syndrome in 2013. He and his family participated in the Energy for Life Walk Delaware Valley as team Anna’s Commandos. They connected with many other families and are still friends with those families to this day. Jack also participated in Day on the Hill to advocate for more research dollars for mitochondrial disease.

This year, in memory of his sister, he has dedicated his Eagle Scout project to collecting, cleaning, and repurposing gently used medical equipment for other families who might be in need – in and out of the mitochondrial disease community – in the greater Philadelphia area. “I know how expensive this equipment is and how difficult it is to get it,” Jack said. “Every small act adds up. The more we work together, the more we can get done.”

For his tribute and his many years moving the mission forward for the mito community, we celebrate Jack Ebert as our 2025 Heartstrings Award winner.

Previous Heartstrings Awardees

Fatema Shikora 2024
Kendall Conner 2023
Sawyer Coleman 2022
Jackson Adams 2021
Nathaniel Pakuris 2020
Jacob Systma 2019
Catherine Wolf 2018
Katherine Chung 2017
Makenzie Lawrey 2016
Andrew Andersen 2016
Katie Parsons 2015
Jade Thompson 2014
Zerin Wolfgramm 2013
Hannah Hoffert 2012
Sarah Marcus 2011
Sydney Breslow 2010
Emily Lyons 2009
Emily Swinn 2008
Ashley Wilkinson 2007
Brittany Wilkinson 2007
Hannah Roberts 2006
Dana Bruck Segal 2005
Samantha Stahler 2004