Alison Bologna has been involved with the Southern New England American Heart Association for five years.
This year she will once again be serving as the Emcee for the upcoming 2019 Southern New England Go Red for Women Luncheon being held on February 14th at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
Alison Bologna is a news anchor for NBC 10 News and the founder of Shri, an urban outreach yoga studio in downtown Pawtucket which funds more than 100 free classes every month through their 501©3 non-profit organization, Shri Service Corps.
“I like that the Southern New England Go Red for Women Luncheon keeps getting bigger and that it is supporting and empowering women,” said Alison. “I enjoy seeing the network of women come together and take action steps for a better quality of life,” she said.
That message aligns with the principles of Shri Yoga Studio, said Alison. In 2018, Shri provided 1,293 free yoga outreach classes to more than 8,000 students.
Despite her busy schedule, Alison teaches monthly. And her favorite class is yoga for adults with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities. “When we get these students out of their walkers when safe, they have fun and the whole point of the curriculum is rhythm-based and joyful,” said Alison.
Alison said that her love of working with intellectually, developmentally and physically disabled adults can be traced back to her family. “My younger sister Jackie is severely disabled, nonverbal and autistic,” she said. “I’ve always been around such populations and it made sense to tailor classes at Shri for adults like my sister, who I care so much about.”
Every Shri class follows the same methodology but all involve elements of movement and mindfulness which are proven to be heart-healthy, Alison said.
Alison has taught for more than a thousand hours and helped to develop a trauma-sensitive curriculum at Shri. Teachers at Shri are also working internationally now, said Alison. They fund free classes in places like Nepal and Cape Verde when Shri teachers travel. There are currently more than 30 teachers at Shri.
“We created Shri to make the practice of yoga more accessible to populations that haven’t had it before,” said Alison. “And I love it.”
Fifteen years ago, Go Red For Women was born as a campaign to raise awareness among women about their great health threat – heart disease.
The Go Red for Women luncheon continues to serve as the cornerstone event of the Go Red For Women movement in local communities.
This empowering event focuses on preventing heart disease and stroke by promoting healthy lifestyles, building awareness and raising critically-needed funds to support research and education initiatives.
Cardiovascular diseases, which include stroke, claim the life of a woman about every 80 seconds. We hope you will join us on our mission because about 80 percent of cardiovascular diseases may be prevented.
For tickets to the 2019 Southern New England Go Red for Women Luncheon go to snegoredluncheon.heart.org or contact Go Red for Women Director Michelle Clark at [email protected] or call her at 401-228-2322.