Vanderbilt’s Fred DeWeese was all smiles at this weekend’s Nashville Heart Walk. Held at Vanderbilt, the event raises funds for the American Heart Association. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Heart Walk once again hits stride
More than 10,000 people turned out to take part in this weekend’s Nashville Heart Walk. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Marsha Peterson and, from left, Hjords, Angelina, Elroy, Freyja and Bump. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Zack Klint gives a helping hand to Nannie May Fort. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Clear skies and cool temperatures made for ideal conditions at the 2007 Nashville Heart Walk on Saturday as thousands of walkers took to the streets of the Vanderbilt University campus to raise funds for the American Heart Association (AHA).
Although money continues to trickle in to the local AHA offices, administrators said that the Heart Walk drew more than 10,000 people and raised $1.1 million, its largest amount to date. Vanderbilt was the top fund-raising organization at Saturday's event and probably among the top five in the nation, bringing in more than $300,000.
Heart Walks are scheduled through November, so final numbers will not be available until then.
Vanderbilt will most likely be able to claim one of the top individual fund-raisers in the nation as well — Fred DeWeese, vice president of Facilities Planning and Development.
DeWeese has served as the Space and Facilities team captain since 1999 and has raised more than $700,000 for the AHA. This was DeWeese's last Heart Walk as a VUMC employee. He will retire in March. The Space and Facilities team included Cyril Stewart, Bobby Otten, Jim Tenpenny and Carol Hutchinson.
“Working at Vanderbilt has been an experience that has allowed our Space and Facilities team and me to work closely with our community architects, engineers, and contractors to create new facilities, but to also engage them as team members to support the important efforts of the Heart Walk,” he said.
“It has been a wonderful fit and partnership with our design and construction community.”
Vanderbilt was well represented with 177 team captains leading the way.
“This was Nashville's largest Heart Walk,” said Kelley Tune, senior Heart Walk director. “With our Start! movement, great weather and more people turning out the day of the event, this was the largest fund-raising event we've had.”
One of the additions to this year's walk was the tie-in with the Start! campaign, an initiative to get employers and their employees to walk more. Jared Fogle, famous for losing 245 pounds by eating Subway sandwiches every day for a year, participated in the walk again.
With several large walks pending elsewhere in the nation, including Atlanta, it is uncertain which walk will bring in the most money.
Nashville's annual walk to help in the fight against heart disease and stroke has consistently ranked among the top five walks nationwide.
“Vanderbilt's role in helping us organize this event was great,” Tune said. “Drs. (Wright) Pinson and (Martin) Sandler were great leaders for the Vanderbilt team. Sandee Tishler and Ed Higgins and their attention to logistics made the event what it was.”
The AHA funds more than $4 million in research projects at Vanderbilt.
“Vanderbilt can be proud of the role it played in ensuring that the Nashville Heart Walk was a big success,” said Ed Higgins, assistant director for Marketing Outreach and Promotions at Vanderbilt.