Berks county executives named to leadership roles for Heart Walk.

The American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on ensuring longer, healthier lives for all, has named Judy Parker, EdD, MSL, BSBA, Chief Executive Officer of Encompass Health and Star Elliott, Business Development Director at Encompass Health, as co-chairs for the Greater Lehigh Valley and Berks County Heart Walk. In this role Parker and Elliott are charged with a $130,000 fundraising goal to support the lifesaving work of the American Heart Association.

The American Heart Association’s Heart Walk is designed to help companies positively impact employee overall health and well-being. The campaign is anchored by an event that inspires employees to be more engaged, reconnect with colleagues, get in their physical activity, support a great cause, and have a lot of fun doing it, all while supporting the mission of the American Heart Association, to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.

“Heart disease and strokes are conditions that too often impact the lives of our community members. We are committed to helping individuals regain independence after a life-changing event or illness, but even more importantly we are also committed to working with the American Heart Association to help prevent our community members from falling victim to heart failure, strokes, or other debilitating conditions. Most people have a family member or know someone who has had heart failure or a stroke and recognize how devastating it can be to not only the individual but also for the loved ones.  Star and I decided to co-chair because we are committed to making a difference in the lives of those in our communities and we know the American Heart Association has the same commitment,” said Parker.

The Greater Lehigh Valley and Berks County Heart Walk will be held on Sunday, September 26th at Grange Park in Macungie, PA (Lehigh Valley). For the first time this year, the walk has expanded to include businesses and participants in Berks County, uniting the community in celebrating health and honoring heart and stroke survivors. This year’s co-chairs will be joined by other likeminded city executives working to increase physical and mental health, combat burnout and promote community engagement.

The funds raised for Heart Walk fund the mission of the American Heart Association to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives while supporting priority issues in Lehigh Valley and Berks County. Target BP, tobacco and vaping, reducing women’s heart health risk has been identified by the American Heart Association Lehigh Valley board of directors to propel work to support the Association’s 2024 Health Equity Impact Goal, reducing barriers to health care access and quality.

To learn and to register for the 2021 Greater Lehigh Valley and Berks County Heart Walk, visit heart.org/lehighvalleywalk.