Inland Empire Heart & Stroke Walk brings the community together to celebrate milestone birthday, honor survivors and save lives!
RIVERSIDE, California, May 8, 2024 — On Saturday, April 27, at Rancho Jurupa Park, Inland Empire Heart and Stroke Walk participants and the local community united to celebrate the Association’s milestone birthday and raised more than $206,000 while drawing more than 1,800 walkers. This year, the American Heart Association is celebrating its Centennial with “Bold Hearts” and a vision for advancing health and hope for everyone, everywhere. Walk participants visited health-related exhibits in the expo and were introduced to speakers who were personally impacted by heart disease and stroke. The event included a group Happy Birthday sing-along, a 5k walk around and through Rancho Jurupa Park, a survivor route, health screenings, kids’ zone, a high energy Zumba warm up, a t-shirt strut fashion show and line dancing, plus a gathering place and breakfast for heart disease and stroke survivors and more.
The Heart and Stroke Walks are the signature events of the American Heart Association’s Heart Challenge platform, which is designed to help companies positively impact employee overall health and wellbeing. The program is anchored in a series of customizable workplace events that inspire employees to be more engaged, reconnect with colleagues, get in their physical activity, support a great cause, and have a lot of fun doing it.
The walkers represented families, individuals and teams formed by local companies who have spent the past year raising money to support the Association’s mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Local Healthcare partners came out in full force, including Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health, Corona Regional Medical Center, and Riverside Community Hospital.
The top 3 company teams were Kaiser Permanente – Riverside, Kaiser Permanente – SBC and Ferguson. The Top Team Walker was Marie Grace Francisco who raised more $5,831 and the Top Team (out of 145) was Pink & Green Heartbeats who raised more than $15,500.
“The Heart and Stroke Walks are all about promoting the health and well-being of our community and supporting the American Heart Association’s lifesaving mission,” said American Heart Association Inland Empire and Orange County Board President, Pranav M. Patel, M.D., Chief, Division of Cardiology, UC Irvine. “Heart health is important for everyone - it’s a common cause we can come together for.”
The funds raised from the Inland Empire Heart and Stroke Walk goes toward research, advocacy, CPR training and to promote better health in support of the Association’s 2024 Health Equity Impact Goal, reducing barriers to health care access and quality. Visit www2.heart.org to learn more.
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About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for a century. During 2024 - our Centennial year - we celebrate our rich 100-year history and accomplishments. As we forge ahead into our second century of bold discovery and impact our vision is to advance health and hope for everyone, everywhere. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
For Media Inquiries:
Daniel Ruacho, daniel.ruacho@heart.org or 480-773-2355
For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)
heart.org and stroke.org
