We Went "Heart Walking"

Guest Blogger: Kami Sutton, Grassroots Coordinator & Heart Walk Team Captain

The sun was shining, the course was set and the heart walkers were smiling on October 14^th for the 2017 Puget Sound Heart and Stroke walk! I was joined by nearly 10,000 amazing American Heart Association supporters who joined their friends, families and colleagues to raise both dollars and awareness for cardiovascular disease.

This annual tradition for my family started 19 years ago and has become more than just a one-day outing each year. I start my fundraising during summer and use my birthday in late September as my last effort to raise as much money as I can in hopes that someday a child like me, born in the next generation will not have to endure 20 heart procedures to mend their Congenital Heart Defect. My goal is always to be a VIP walker, raising over $1,000 and I am proud to say that I have accomplished this each year that I have participated.

This year’s walk was full of fun at the Festival that was held before and after the walk. There was an incredible Kids Zone where our youngest walkers learned heart-healthy facts, activities like hula-hooping and yoga and even had their very own Heart Health Passport to fill up with stamps at each activity to turn in for a prize. I saw hundreds of kiddos walk away with the biggest smiles on their faces and hopefully new knowledge they will carry through their lives to stay heart healthy!

The importance of this event to our community could be felt through the thousands of people walking with the companies, hospitals and families that make the Puget Sound such an amazing place to live. In total, this year the Puget Sound Heart & Stroke walk has raised over $1.9 million that will go on to help us save lives!