The American Heart Association (AHA) kicked off this year's Start! Heart Walk with a leadership breakfast on June 15th. The Start! Heart Walk presented by Memorial Hermann Southeast along with Advantage BMW MINI of Clear Lake will take place Saturday, October 16, 2010 at the Kemah Boardwalk.
The Heart Walk will continue with the theme "Start!" to encourage the community to take a more active role in fighting the nation's number one and three killers - cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Walkers not only reap the health benefits associated with the walk but they also bring in donations which go towards reducing disability and death from heart disease and stroke as well as promote public and professional awareness.
"After surpassing our goal to raise $150,000 last year, we have decided to raise the bar again to $200,000," said Jeanette Webster, AHA Corporate Market Director. "The money raised in Bay Area Houston has helped the American Heart Association reduce heart disease and stroke by 25 percent, resulting in saving about 2,000,000 lives per year. Every dollar raised for the Hear Walk helps us save another life."
Online registration, team recruitment, sample fundraising letters, and online donations are available through the event web site at www.bayareaheartwalk.org. Corporate sponsorships are still available.
The signature sponsor of the Start! Campaign is Memorial Hermann Southeast. Presenting the Heart Walk this year is Advantage BMW MINI of Clear Lake. Other local sponsors to date include Clear Lake Regional Medical Center, CHRISTUS St. John Hospital, Merrill Lynch, John P. McGovern Foundation, Lockheed Martin, UTMB Galveston, Elite Financial and Retirement Solutions - A MetLife Office, Kemah Boardwalk, and the University of Houston Clear Lake.