Heart Walk celebrates 20th anniversary in Lake Forest
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the American Heart Association held its annual Heart Walk in Lake Forest recently.
Thousands of walkers gathered on the Grainger Campus to support the fight against heart disease and stroke, which kills one in three women.
The non-competitive walk featured one and three-mile routes and a free family-friendly health festival that included free health screenings, the world's most realistic walk-through interactive inflatable brain, and giveaways.
More than 25,000 walkers were expected to participate in the American Heart Association's four Metro Chicago Heart Walks this month to help raise nearly $3 million. The funds will support research, educational and awareness programs in Chicago and across the country.
"Participation is an important step towards improving heart health in Chicago and nationwide," said Kelly Jo Golson, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Advocate Health Care and co-chair of the 2014 Metro Chicago Heart Walks. "These walks help raise critical funds to support the American Heart Association's efforts of encouraging all Americans to lead healthier and more active lives, and the Heart Walks allow us to celebrate the role we play in helping the AHA."
Heart disease and stroke remain two of the top killers of Americans and pose a significant threat to millions of others. Cardiovascular diseases claim more lives than all forms of cancer combined and someone in the U.S. dies from heart disease about once every 90 seconds.
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