Football
family
leads HeartWalk
Montana Grizzlies head football coach Joe Glenn and his wife, Michele,
have suited up to chair next September's Missoula HeartWalk, a major fund-raiser for the
American Heart Association's local division.This year's walk has been moved to UM's
campus and tied in with the Montana Grizzlies' first home game Sept. 15 against their
long-standing rivals, the University of Idaho Vandals. Heart disease and stroke awareness
and education will be the focus during the game and at halftime.
The goal for this year's HeartWalk is to raise $80,000 to help sponsor research and
community education programs funded by the American Heart Association.
"Perhaps the most important of these programs is sponsored medical research into
the causes and cures for heart disease and stroke," said Jabet Wheeler, regional
director for the northwest Montana AHA office. "Over the years, scientists at UM have
been generously supported by American Heart Association research grants from both the
local Northwest affiliate and the national AHA grant programs."
One such scientist, UM Professor and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Chair Vernon
Grund, said "We need to do a much better job of fund raising for AHA in the Missoula
area because the organization is committing far more money to support research grants at
UM than we are actually raising in this community."
For example, AHA will invest $104,000 over the next two years to sponsor research
projects by Taren Grass, a doctoral student from Box Elder, and Pakamas
Tongcharoensirikul, who is receiving postdoctoral training at UM.
The Glenns and their longtime friends and HeartWalk vice chairs Jone and Mike Hayes,
along with dozens of volunteers in the Missoula and campus communities, already are busy
contacting local business leaders to encourage employee participation in the HeartWalk.
Michele Glenn is a substitute teacher for Missoula Public Schools. Jone Hayes is a
staff member with UM's Human Resource Services, while Mike works for Zip Beverage.
Coach Glenn said he is willing to visit with the staffs of local businesses and
government to talk about the reason for his involvement and the need for heart disease and
stroke prevention, education and awareness. Both of Glenn's grandfathers and more recently
a close friend died of heart disease.
For more information about the walk or to schedule Glenn to speak to groups about the
event, call Jabet Wheeler at (406) 754-3015 or Rita
Munzenrider of University Relations at 243-4824.
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