Walkers get ready for the start of this year’s Nashville Heart Walk last Sunday. An estimated 7,000 people took part in the event held on the Vanderbilt campus.
photo by Dana Johnson
Vanderbilt hits stride for annual Heart Walk
Liz Bazzoli, 3, hitches a ride with her mother, Jana, an administrator at Vanderbilt Page-Campbell Heart Institute.
photo by Dana Johnson
David Posch, VMG COO and Vanderbilt’s 2005 team leader, and Marilyn Dubree, R.N., chief nursing officer, walk the home stretch.
photo by Dana Johnson
Walkers swarmed Natchez Trace at the start of the Heart Walk.
photo by Dana Johnson
There were plenty of four-legged supporters at the Heart Walk, including Max, left, and Maggie.
photo by Dana Johnson
The Nashville Heart Walk, which took place Sunday on the Vanderbilt campus, is again expected to vault past the $1 million mark.
The final tally won't be known until after the Nov. 15 deadline, but organizers expect that Vanderbilt's contribution to the American Heart Association (AHA) fund-raising event will exceed the original goal of $300,000.
“If averages hold true, Vanderbilt should surpass the $400,000 mark to become the No. 1 team in the country,” said Brandi Broome, senior regional director at the American Heart Association.
Nashville's annual walk to help in the fight against heart disease and stroke has consistently ranked among the top three walks nationwide, surpassed only by Seattle and Detroit.
An estimated 7,000 walkers participated in the Nashville Heart Walk's carnival-like atmosphere, which featured a fall festival and a live band.
“In spite of how cold it was, we had a great turnout,” said Broome. “Although we don't have a final count, the good news is that we have so much money still out there. With 100 team captains still to turn in donations, the Nashville walk is looking very promising.”
David Posch, Vanderbilt Medical Group's chief operating officer, was Vanderbilt's 2005 leader.
“Vanderbilt really was out there in force,” Posch said. “This was my first time to walk. I had always opened up my wallet, but I had not gotten my feet going.
“I am sending out an executive challenge at the Medical Center. I am encouraging other executives to give $1,000 to AHA by the deadline. The walk may be over, but the fund raising is still going on.”
Posch said hearing the many stories of survivors and meeting families with successful outcomes was very motivating.
“There were so many walking on behalf of survivors,” he said. “It was very touching to hear the stories and know that what I was doing, what we were all doing, was raising money that would go toward innovative discoveries.”
The AHA funds more than $4 million of research projects at Vanderbilt.
“This has been one of the most outstanding years ever in terms of the level of support we have received from Vanderbilt employees and its leadership,” Broome said. “That is extremely important to organizations like ours.”
Broome is still accepting donations. Contributions can be mailed to: American Heart Association, c/o Brandi Broome, 1818 Patterson Street, Nashville, Tenn. 37203. For more information, call 340-4111.