The American Heart Association (AHA) invites workplaces, community groups, friends and family from across Berks County to lace up their sneakers and register now for the 2016 Berks County Heart Walk, to be held Sunday, Sept. 25 at its new location, Gring’s Mill Recreation Area, 2083 Tulpehocken Road, Reading. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the walk steps off at 10 a.m.
The Heart Walk is a family-friendly event to promote the importance of physical activity for heart health and raise funds to support the American Heart Association’s lifesaving mission to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke, the nation’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers. This year’s event will give attendees the opportunity to walk a non-competitive two-mile route around Gring’s Mill Recreation Area. The event also features vendors, health information, CPR demonstrations, team photos, healthy snacks and activities for kids.
The combined fundraising goal for the 2016 Berks County Heart Walk and Lehigh Valley Heart Walk, set for Sept. 18 at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, is $325,000. Walkers who raise a minimum of $100 will receive a Heart Walk T-shirt and the opportunity to receive additional prizes based on their fundraising levels.
Dollars raised by the American Heart Association through events like the Heart Walk fund cardiovascular disease and stroke research, as well as public and professional programs and advocacy. The American Heart Association’s 2020 Impact Goal is to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent by the year 2020.
The Heart Walk is sponsored nationally by Subway Restaurants and locally by Easton Hospital. Additional support is provided by General Supply Company, HealthSouth Reading Rehabilitation Hospital, Lehigh Valley Health Network, EnerSys, Schneider Electric and Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital.
For more information about 2016 Berks County Heart Walk, visit www.heart.org/lehighberkswalk or call 614-396-3503.
