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Charlotte Diss receives AHA award | She puts her heart into her job
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Charlotte, Diss, senior director of the local American Heart Association, was awarded the association's top honor, the Rome Betts Award, for her dedication to AHA's mission of building healthier lives free from cardiovascular disease and stroke.
By Sean Barron
BOARDMAN
Charlotte Diss vividly remembers her surprise upon learning she would be the recipient of a prestigious award for work she consistently puts her heart into.
“I was overwhelmed to get the [Rome] Betts Award,” said Diss, the local American Heart Association’s senior director. “I didn’t know I was in the running to get it.”
She was referring to the AHA’s top award named after the agency’s first executive director, who served in that capacity from 1949 to 1968.
The achievement recognizes recipients’ exemplary professionalism and leadership as well as their dedication to the heart association’s mission of building healthier lives free from cardiovascular disease and stroke, America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers, respectively, the AHA website says.
This is the second time this year that Diss has been recognized for her achievements. She also was one of 25 nominees for the 2012 Athena Award, which celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of professional women in the Mahoning Valley. She also is a graduate of Leadership Mahoning Valley’s Class of 2008.
Diss spoke recently from the agency’s office, at 840 Southwestern Run Drive, about the award, as well as several of the heart association’s programs, offerings and goals.
Diss, who earned a business degree in 1994 from Youngstown State University, said the AHA is working harder with elementary-school children to emphasize the importance of fitness and proper nutrition.
The local AHA, which serves the tri-county area as well as Mercer, Lawrence, Venango and Clarion counties in Pennsylvania, hosts annual fundraisers to support research efforts and educational projects, Diss noted. They include the Greater Youngstown Golf Classic in June, two heart-walk events each fall and a black-tie dinner to honor community leaders for their accomplishments in increasing awareness of cardiovascular disease, she continued.
To that end, the local AHA saw a 44 percent revenue increase in fiscal year 2010-11, compared with the year before, noted Diss, who, along with two development specialists, makes up the agency’s fundraising staff.
It’s also essential more people “know their numbers” by keeping track of their blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar and other counts, she stressed.
“If not checked, all of that combined can lead to cardiovascular disease or stroke,” Diss warned.
Other AHA offerings include a “fit-friendly” program to recognize companies that meet certain criteria for making the importance of fitness a top priority, she explained, adding that many businesses have hired wellness directors to educate employees on the importance of maintaining good health and a strong heart.
In addition, the agency reaches out to elementary- and high-school students, in part by providing literature, gym equipment and fund-raising efforts aimed at instilling in the youngsters healthy life choices. For example, better nutrition can be achieved in schools by replacing sodas high in sugar with fruits, water and juices, Diss noted.
Such programs are critical because many members of this generation are in poor health that’s attributable largely to an obesity epidemic linked to improper eating habits and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, Diss explained. In fact, this could be the first generation in which a record number of youngsters might not outlive their parents, she warned, adding that some children as young as 6 have developed Type 2 diabetes — something previously seen almost exclusively in adults.
“This is a generation of couch potatoes playing video games instead of playing outside. They’re sitting, and when they’re sitting, they’re eating,” Diss said.
“It goes back to the parents because [most] kids don’t cook and kids don’t shop,” Diss said. “It’s educating parents and keeping that message out there.”