Posted on: Friday, August 6, 2004
2,500 to walk in park for heart association fund-raiser
Advertiser Staff
More than 2,500 O'ahu residents hope to raise $300,000 for the American Heart Association with a walk in the park, and the public is invited to participate to help promote a healthy lifestyle.
For more information or to register to raise money, call the Heart Association at 538-7021 or visit its Web site at americanheart.org. All others can just show up. The event is a non-competitive, 4-mile walk around Diamond Head. The walk is being held as part of a national series that will take place in more than 600 cities this year and has raised more than $406 million for research and education in its 12-year history.
The Hawai'i walk will begin at 7:30 a.m. Aug. 14 at Kapi'olani Park.
In Hawai'i last year, nearly 3,300 people died prematurely because of heart disease and stroke, Lagareta said.
Heart and blood vessel diseases are the leading killer of women and men in the United States, Lagareta said. "Everyone knows someone affected by cardiovascular diseases like heart disease or stroke. That's why it's so important for all of us to participate in the Heart Walk and do our part to help save lives."
Walkers will include employees of local companies that form teams. Participants at the event who are survivors of heart disease or stroke will wear red caps that read, "Fighting Back."
Brenda Cutwright, an Aloha Airlines executive and co-chairwoman of the walk, said having employees affected by these diseases motivates the company's efforts.
"The Heart Walk reinforces the possibility that heart disease or stroke can happen to any one of us and emphasizes the importance of our efforts in helping to save the lives of our co-workers, family and friends," Cutwright said.
Heart Association-financed research has yielded many important discoveries such as CPR, life-extending drugs, pacemakers, bypass surgery, the heart-lung machine and surgical techniques to repair heart defects, Cutwright said.
The event will also include a health fair and keiki fun fair.
The walk is presented locally by Aloha Airlines, Kalaeloa Partners and the Straub Heart Center. The success of the event is due in part to O'ahu businesses such as Hawaii Pacific Health, Kamehameha Schools, The Queen's Medical Center, Times Supermarket and Verizon Hawaii, she said.
Participants in the Heart Walk want to change tomorrow today by providing money for heart disease and stroke research and for educational programs in Hawai'i, said Kitty Lagareta, co-chairwoman of the event and CEO of Communications Pacific. They'll do that by collecting pledges ahead of time.
How to help
