August 2003

Donors sought for
big-hearted campus event
Put on your walking shoes and join teams from The University of Montana and Missoula-area businesses for the Missoula American HeartWalk 2003.

UM will host the HeartWalk on campus Saturday, Sept. 20, and this year's theme is "Participate, Raise Money, Save Lives." The walk begins at 8:30 a.m. on the Mansfield Mall, located between the Mansfield Library and the University Center.

Money raised in this year's event will be used to fight heart disease and stroke locally through education and research.

Businesses are encouraged to form employee teams to participate in the walk, raise money and call attention to heart-healthy lifestyles. Each year, the number of walkers grows, and HeartWalk organizers are hoping the trend continues.

The goal for this year's HeartWalk is $125,000. Last year's event raised more than $90,000. Team leaders can set up a Web page or find out more information at www.kintera.org/faf/home.

UM President George Dennison said the University is involved in the HeartWalk as a way to give back to the community and to call attention to the cutting-edge research being conducted by UM scientists. For more than a decade, UM faculty and graduate students have received grants for heart disease and stroke research from the American Heart Association.

As in years past, Dennison is spearheading a team of UM administrators to raise money and participate in the walk. He and his wife, Jane, a heart disease survivor, lead each year's walk. Last year Team Dennison raised more than $3,000, and the president already is pounding the pavement soliciting donations to surpass last year's fund-raising total.

Major sponsors of this year's HeartWalk are UM, Southgate Mall, Mountain 102.5 FM, KECI- TV, First Interstate Bank, Allegiance Benefit Plan Management Inc., APS Healthcare, Missoulian, Community Medical Center and the International Heart Institute of Montana.

University Relations | Cary Shimek, Editor
The University of Montana-Missoula
32 Campus Drive | Missoula, MT 59812
phone (406) 243-2522 | fax (406) 243-4520
© 2004 The University of Montana