More than 9,000 people joined the American Heart Association at Florida International University on Saturday, Oct. 30, to make a difference in the fight against heart disease and raise over $550,000.
The 2010 Miami-Dade Start! Heart Walk was led by co-chairs, Wayne Brackin, chief operating officer of Baptist Health South Florida, and Dr. John Rock, founding dean and senior vice president for Medical Affairs, FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
From a fun Kids Zone to a Start! Memorial area, people enjoyed a day of heart healthy activities. There were special appearances by FIU president Mark Rosenberg, dean Pascal Godschmidt of the University of Miami, and Dr. Ralph Sacco, national president of the American Heart Association. Atop fundraiser was Mary D’Argenis-Fernandez who lost her husband to cardiac arrest earlier this year.
National Sponsor of the 2010 Miami- Dade Start! Heart Walk was Subway. Baptist Health South Florida, AvMed Health Plans, Assurant, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, Gilly & Natural Choice Vending, Ryder Charitable Foundation, Suffolk Construction, Tenet Healthcare, TRANE, UHealth/ University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as well as other wonderful local sponsors hosted various activities like health screenings.
Additional sponsors were Natural Awakenings magazine, Comcast, Salud Al Dia, Univision 23/Telefutura 69, Miami’s Community Newspapers and 97.3 The Coast.
The Start! Heart Walk is the American Heart Association’s premiere event for raising funds to save lives from this country’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers — heart disease and stroke. Designed to promote physical activity and hearthealthy living, the Start! Heart Walk creates an environment that’s fun and rewarding for the entire family. This year, more than 1 million walkers will participate in nearly 350 events.
For more information on the 2010 Miami-Dade Start! Heart Walk visit online at www.MiamiDadeHeartWalk.org.
