Lynchburg Community Participates In Walk Hosted By Health And Wellness
Over 200 people gathered on April 9 at Riverfront Park in Lynchburg for the 2022 Heart Walk hosted by the American Heart Association with cooperation from local organizations.
Encouraged by the crisp, sunny weather, walkers began arriving at the park around 9 a.m. While they waited for the walk itself to start, they were able to visit several information tables hosted by local organizations.
Liberty University students hosted a heart healthy refreshment table, while the University of Lynchburg hosted a table where participants could check their blood pressure both before and after the walk. Other organizations represented were Auto-Owners Insurance, Centra Health, Campbell Insurance, BWX Tech and Pacific Life.
Booths had different slogans such as “Deciding to be Heart Healthy” and “Staying Heart Healthy,” according to the service or information each table offered.
DJ MADLAD entertained attendees with what he refers to as “Sunday afternoon oldies,” consisting mainly of songs garnered from the ‘60s and ‘70s. He produced a mood of lively anticipation as participants waited for the walk to start.
The event officially began with a brief opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m. before releasing the walkers to their choice of either a 1, 2, 3 or 4-mile walk.
Keith Anderson, executive director of the Student Health & Wellness Center at Liberty, opened the ceremony with prayer before passing the microphone to Amanda Kenny, morning host of WFXR, the local FOX TV station.
The ceremony began by recognizing many of the reasons Lynchburg residents chose to participate in the walk. Many participants raised their hand that they were survivors of a form of heart disease or were caring for someone who was fighting one. Others chose to walk in memory of a loved one who had passed away due to a heart disease.
Nat Marshall, HR manager of WFXR and chairman for the 2023 Lynchburg Heart Walk spoke next, recognizing the many heart disease survivors at the event. Survivors’ disease-free period ranged from as short as four months to as long as 12 years.
Among the heart disease survivors at the event was Andrew, a toddler who had heart surgery in November of 2020 at the age of 4 months old.
“We knew he had down syndrome when he was born, but the need for heart surgery didn’t appear right away,” Andrew’s father Mike said.
One and a half years later, Andrew is happy and heart healthy.
Andrew’s family appreciated the gesture of so many people showing up for the heart walk.
“It’s a great community event,” Andrew’s mother Lindsay said. “It’s great to see people turn out in support of causes like this.”
In weeks before the walk, participants were asked to raise funds to donate to the AHA. The opening ceremony revealed that altogether the walkers raised over $60,000 for the organization.
The next portion of the opening ceremony, a pooch parade, was also a success with several walkers entering their pets. Decked out in red handkerchiefs in support of the AHA, the dogs paraded with their owners in front of judges to the tune of Baha Men’s “Who Let the Dogs Out” for several minutes. Awards were given for best in show, best personality and more.
An AHA representative led the walkers through a series of warm-up exercises before leading them to the starting point of the walk.
Led by several heart disease survivors, the walkers began their trek through the park at 10 a.m. to the music from DJ MADLAD along with the rumble of a train on the nearby tracks.
Kicinski is a news reporter.