Annual Tri-county walk will get hearts pumping

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SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR From left to right are Elinor and Jason Erb; Thomas John Meister of WBBG, the 2014 Heart Walk master of ceremonies; Frank Hierro of Hungtinton Bank, 2014 Heart Walk chairman; Joy and Emmet Erb; and Dave Sess and Erika Thomas of WKBN TV, a media sponsor. The Erb family represents one of the many families in the tri-county area affected by heart disease. Their son, Emmet, is a survivor of heart defects and is the local 2014 Heart Child.

YOUNGSTOWN

The Tri-County Heart Walk will bring together the community at WATTS, the Watson and Tressel Training Site, 651 Elm St., at Youngstown State University, on Sept. 20.

Frank Hierro, regional president of Huntington National Bank, is the local chairman.

The goal of the heart walk is to encourage physical activity for a healthy lifestyle and to raise funds for life-saving cardiovascular research and educational programs. About 2,000 people are anticipated to participate in this year’s 1.25-mile walk around the campus, with the goal of raising $250,000 for the American Heart Association.

Again this year, walkers may buy AHA torches, red for heart disease survivors and white for stroke survivors, before the walk.

To register to walk and raise funds, sign up by calling AHA at 330-318-1003 or visiting heart.org/youngstownwalk. Funds raised come from corporate sponsorships, Heart Walk teams and individual donations.

Major local sponsors are Huntington Bank, St. Elizabeth Heart and Vascular Center, Humility of Mary Health Partners, ValleyCare Health System of Ohio, Bob and Chuck Eddy Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat, Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley, The Brilex Group and Covelli Enterprises.

The national sponsor is Subway. Local media sponsors are The Vindicator, Clear Channel Radio Youngstown, WKBN TV and Armstrong Cable.

Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 4 leading causes of death. The AHA has set a goal of reducing the number of deaths from heart disease by 20 percent while improving the overall cardiovascular health of Americans by 20 percent by 2020.

The Heart Walk is part of the My Heart, My Life program encouraging all Americans to take control of their health by changing the way they approach it.