Griz head coach Joe Glenn

This year’s walk has been moved to the UM campus and tied in with the Montana Grizzlies’ first home game Sept. 15. Heart disease and stroke awareness 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 affiliate. “Scientists at UM have been generously supported by AHA 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.

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.