On June 10, the American Heart Association celebrated its centennial birthday. In 1924, heart disease was a death sentence, but with the organization’s progress over the last 100 years, the death rate from cardiovascular disease has been cut in half. The organization understands the role that science and education play in continuing to decrease that number. That is why the American Heart Association has invested over $5.7 billion into cardiovascular research. Through meaningful partnerships, innumerable hands-only CPR demonstrations, and effective advocacy, the organization’s mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives is evident in every community it touches.
The American Heart Association in New York City wanted to recognize this special moment in the Association’s history through a Centennial Digital Time Capsule across our social media pages. These posts provided us with a snapshot of where we are now, so that in another hundred years we can look back to see how far we’ve come.
On Monday, June 10, we had the opportunity to capture a video of a billboard advertising the innovative work called Liive that connects the American Heart Association with the livestreaming community.
On Tuesday, Spanish broadcaster Univision 41 WXTV visited our office to share the story of CPR hero David Martinez, who used hands-only CPR to save his co-worker’s life after she went into cardiac arrest, and to help us raise awareness about the importance of knowing hands-only CPR. Martinez learned the life-saving skill after watching a two-minute training video from the American Heart Association.
On Wednesday, we added a special item to our time capsule, our logo. We acknowledged that while the style of our logo has evolved over the last 100 years, our purpose is steadfast. Our heart and torch are representative of the last century’s progress, and the progress we intend to continue making.
On Thursday, we held our Heart of New York City gala, an enthusiastic event fit to celebrate the organization with pizzazz. We welcomed nearly 700 guests, volunteers, and survivors at Cipriani Wall Street to a 1920s Great Gatsby themed party. The event raised over $3.5 million.
On Friday, we reflected on all the ways in which we continue to create historical moments on a weekly basis. It will be thrilling to look back at this time capsule in another 100 years to see how far we have come, and to once again, imagine how far we will go.