April 2003

UM to host HeartWalk
For the third year running, the UM campus will be the site of the Missoula HeartWalk.

The annual American Heart Association walk, which aims to raise money and awareness to fight heart disease and stroke, begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, on the Mansfield Mall. This year's goal is to raise $125,000 in the local community. Last year's walk raised more than $90,000 to fund research and education.

Each year the number of walkers grows, and HeartWalk organizers are hoping the trend continues.

"Most of us know someone -- a family member, a friend or colleague -- whose life has been lost to or changed by heart disease or stroke," said Kimberly Roth, Southgate Mall marketing director and the 2003 HeartWalk chair. "That's what motivates me and other community members to be involved with this effort."

For more than a decade, UM faculty and graduate students have received grants for heart disease and stroke research from the AHA. 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.

In the past, Dennison has spearheaded a team of UM administrators to raise more than $3,000. He and his wife Jane, a heart disease survivor, lead each year's walk.

To find out more, call 542-1025.

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