Heart association plans annual walk

The event will raise funds for research and education.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The American Heart Association's annual Heart Walk will take place Sept. 18 on the campus of Youngstown State University.
Pre-event activities will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the walk scheduled to begin at 9. Walkers may choose to walk two or more miles throughout the campus starting from the YSU track.
Funds raised will support heart disease and stroke research and educational programs in the community as well as promoting walking as part of a healthy lifestyle.
The theme for the event will be "Change Tomorrow Today," and participants who are heart disease or stroke survivors will wear red caps that read "Fighting Back."
An extensive health fair also will be part of the event.
Chairman of the walk is Walter "Buzz" Pishkur of Aqua Ohio, and serving on the committee are Karen Fox and Karen Luke, new teams co-chairmen; Greg Gulas and Jennifer Johnson, previous teams co-chairmen; Ellen Millik-Jones, logistics chairman; Karen Abrams and Helen Paes, sponsorship co-chairmen; and Thomas John and Connie Moorhouse, communications co-chairmen. Attending as Red Cap spokespersons will be Debora Serrano, 6, and Jenna Dodson, 9.
Sponsors
National sponsors of the Heart Walk are NutriSoy and Subway. Local gold sponsor is St. Elizabeth Heart & amp; Vascular Center. Silver sponsors are Armstrong, the Heart Center at Akron Children's Hospital and Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley -- Kennedy Family Foundation.
Bronze-level sponsors are Advanced Cardiology Inc., Aqua Ohio, AstraZeneca, Diagnostic Cardiology Associates, Guidant, the Heart Hospital at Forum Health, the Heart Center of Northeastern Ohio, National City Bank and Ohio Heart Institute.
Friend sponsors are Anthem, Astro Shapes, Cellular One, Clear Channel, Infocision and YSU. Media sponsors are Clear Channel, Time Warner Cable and WKBN-TV.
Information on participating in the event may be obtained by calling (330) 965-9230 or visiting walk.americanheart.org.