North Star advisor raises nearly $125,000 for children with heart disease

MINNEAPOLIS—August 18, 2025—North Star Resource Group’s annual Charitable Golf Event raised nearly $125,000 this year to support the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation. For event leader and Minneapolis-based financial advisor Wes Sharp, the cause is personal: Two of his sons live with pediatric cardiomyopathy.

“Cardiomyopathy has a higher mortality rate than pediatric cancer and is the leading cause of heart transplants and sudden cardiac arrest in children, yet it remains incredibly underfunded,” said Sharp. “When our family received this diagnosis, we immediately went into research mode and realized how much more support is needed for these kids. We wanted to help.”

The Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation is a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing research, education, and awareness for pediatric cardiomyopathy, a chronic and potentially life-threatening heart disease in children.

Sharp himself was diagnosed with a heart condition during a routine doctor’s visit 10 years ago. Knowing the issues could be genetic, he and his wife pursued early testing for their children—identifying the condition early in two of their three kids.

“Often families find out too late, and a transplant is required (or worse). These families, these kids need help,” Sharp commented. “And we have the unbelievable opportunity to help through the Scott Richards North Star Foundation.”

North Star Resource Group founded the Scott Richards North Star Foundation in 2004, committing to donating 10% of annual profits to charity. In 2005, North Star hosted the first annual Charitable Golf Event, an event that has raised over $1 million in the last two decades. Combined with other charitable initiatives, North Star has contributed $7.4 million to organizations nationwide.

Each year, the event is led by a North Star advisor or team member who chooses a cause with which they share a personal connection. Past beneficiaries include BestPrep, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that provides financial literacy and career readiness programs to high school students, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which helps spread awareness and support research initiatives behind cystic fibrosis (a degenerative disease that affects patients’ abilities to breathe and causes frequent lung infections).

“The North Star Charitable Golf Event has long been a cornerstone of our annual fundraising efforts,” stated North Star CEO Ed Deutschlander, CLU®, CLF®. “Giving back is one of the most fundamental things we do at North Star, and I’m proud to see the success of this year’s event and the impact it’s making on those affected by pediatric heart disease. We are especially proud of Wes Sharp and his wife, Alexa, for their great dedication to this cause.”

Sharp assumed his current leadership role in the Charitable Golf Event in late 2023. In 2024, the event raised $70,000 for the cause, a contribution nearly doubled in 2025. This year’s $118,000 contribution—the most the event has raised in a single year—was made possible by a generous match of $50,000 from the Scott Richards North Star Foundation.

To learn more about the North Star Charitable Golf Event, visit www.northstarcharitygolf.com. For more information on the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation, visit www.childrenscardiomyopathy.org.

About the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation
The Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation (CCF) is a non-profit organization focused on pediatric cardiomyopathy, a chronic and potentially life-threatening heart disease. CCF was established in 2002 as a 501(c)(3) public charity to meet the critical need for more research and education on the condition. In the last two decades, CCF has grown into a global community of families, physicians and scientists focused on improving diagnosis, treatment and quality of life for children with pediatric cardiomyopathy. To learn more about the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation, visit www.childrenscardiomyopathy.org.

About North Star Resource Group
North Star Resource Group is a Minneapolis-based financial services firm that provides both individuals and businesses with the resources to help create, preserve, and protect their wealth. North Star has more than 207 full-time advisors and over 202 employees. In a network of 37 offices in over 21 states, they have contributed to the financial security and well-being of over 150,000 individuals and small businesses**. To learn more about North Star Resource Group, visit www.northstarfinancial.com.

**Data as of December 2024

###

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Ian Rich at 612.617.6076 or email him at ian.rich@northstarfinancial.com.