Pee Dee residents to take steps to improve health in Start! Heart Walk

FLORENCE — More than 2,000 Pee Dee residents are expected to take steps to improve their heart health on Saturday, October 24, when they participate in the American Heart Association’s Start! Pee Dee Heart Walk at Francis Marion University. The Heart Walk is locally sponsored by McLeod Health and Nucor Steel, being the local Start! Partners. The fundraising goal for the Heart Walk is $375,000.
The annual event, which raises funds to fight heart disease and stroke, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers, begins at 8:30 am with fun family oriented activities and registration. Then the 3 mile walk around Francis Marion University begins at 10:00 am. .

The non-competitive walk includes teams of employees from over 90 Pee Dee area companies and organizations, along with friends and family members of all ages.

“Experts say brisk walking for as little as 30 minutes a day has proven health benefits, such as providing increased energy and circulation, as well as reduced risk of heart disease,” said Rob Colones, President & CEO McLeod Health, and the 2009 Heart Walk Chair. “The Start! Heart Walk is designed to help participants understand this critical message, join with others, and generate a renewed commitment to heart-healthy living through walking.”

Start! Heart Walk participants will experience three “communities” that feature relevant resources and activities.

The Create Hope Community will:

• Foster hope by bringing together people with similar experiences, sorrows and fears.

• Allow people to acknowledge their losses and pay tribute to loved ones.

• Provide an opportunity to honor survivors and individuals whose family and friends have been impacted by heart disease and stroke.

• Give survivors hope that they can influence their own and their loved ones’ destinies by connecting risk factors to a personal loss.

The Inspire Change Community will:

• Inspire participants to make changes in their daily behavior that reduce risk for heart disease and stroke, such as increasing physical activity and making heart-healthy choices a part of daily life.

• Inspire participants to make a long-term commitment in the fight against heart disease and stroke by volunteering for the American Heart Association.

The Celebrate Success Community will:

• Celebrate individuals and companies that have made significant changes to lead a heart-healthy life (e.g., by being more active, losing weight, etc.) or encourage employees to lead a healthier life.

• Highlight the successful fund-raising efforts of individuals and companies.

Each day, nearly 2,400 Americans die from a cardiovascular disease. That’s an average of one death every 37 seconds. A leading risk factor for heart attack and stroke is lack of physical activity. Research has also found that individuals may gain two hours of life expectancy for every one hour of regular, vigorous exercise they do.

“We want people to know that it is never too late to ‘Start!’ down a healthier path,” said Matt Manelli, Controller, Nucor Steel South Carolina. “Our hope is that the Start! Heart Walk will help jump start a culture of physical activity among participants and increase passion for supporting the lifesaving work of the American Heart Association.”

The annual success of the Start! Pee Dee Heart Walk is due in part to our year round Start! partners: McLeod Health and Nucor Steel, in addition to other Heart Walk sponsors, such as Honda of South Carolina, Ikon, Perdue Farms, Pee Dee Cardiology Associates, ACS Technologies, BCBS of South Carolina, Anderson Brothers Bank, SouthEast Express, and AO Smith. Start! Heart Walk is nationally sponsored by Subway Restaurants®, Healthy Choice® and Astra Zeneca.

Last year, more than 1 million walkers raised more than $106 million in 425 Start! Heart Walks across the country.

For information on participating in the Start! Heart Walk, call the American Heart Association at 843-665-0985 or visit www.startpeedeesc.org.

About the American Heart Association
Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association today is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke. These diseases, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases claim nearly 870,000 lives a year. In fiscal year 2006-07 the association invested more than $554 million in research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs to help all Americans live longer, healthier lives. To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit americanheart.org.