The New Hampshire Heart Walk is scheduled for Sunday, June 2nd at Manchester’s Livingston Park. Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death in New Hampshire. This year, the Heart Walk will celebrate the Association’s 100 years of saving and improving lives.
Erin Fehlau
Laura Stelchook
Event festivities will start at 9:00 a.m. and the pre-walk celebration – hosted by WMUR’s Erin Fehlau and Live Free Country’s Laura Stelchook – will begin at 10:00 a.m. Heart Walk participants will receive useful prevention information aimed at inspiring them to improve their heart and brain health. Activities during the event will include: free CPR demonstrations; a kids zone featuring games and giveaways; healthy snacks; a survivor area to recognize those fighting heart disease or stroke; and a tribute area to honor those lost to these diseases
Ella Denney
Ella Denney, 18, of Concord will be the event’s survivor storyteller. In 2020, she was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, which causes the heart to beat erratically, affecting its upper chambers. Denney’s father had passed away from a heart attack, making him her inspiration to help others. In 2022, Denney was selected as one of ten youth across the country as an American Heart Association Youth Heart Ambassador. The goal of this volunteer role is to give youth a voice and to underscore the need to raise critical funding as they share the impact cardiovascular disease has had on their lives. Since then, she has shared her personal journey with heart disease to actively and passionately champion other children to establish healthy habits.
Dan Cronin
Dan Cronin, Founder and President at CGI Business Solutions and 2024 New Hampshire Heart Walk Chair, has set a goal with his committee to raise $140,000 through corporate donations and walk teams. “The Heart Walk celebrates heart and stroke survivors while honoring the lives that have been lost,” said Cronin. “The event brings together families, co-workers, and friends to have fun while also saving lives by funding research and educating our local community on prevention and warnings signs of heart attack and stroke. Since the inception of the Heart Walk, mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and stroke have decreased by 45 percent.”
The New Hampshire Heart Walk is sponsored by CGI Business Solutions, Metro Walls, M&T Bank, Dartmouth Health, Heart and Vascular Center at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, CMC New England Heart & Vascular Institute, Alexander Technology Group and Northeast Delta Dental. Media sponsors are 96.5 Live Free Country and WMUR-TV.
“By participating in the Heart Walk, you’re helping to save more children who have congenital heart defects, train thousands in lifesaving CPR, and fund groundbreaking brain and heart research,” said Cronin. “The Association has provided more than $9.5 million in research grants to New Hampshire institutions over the years.”
To register for the Heart Walk and for more information, visit www.NHHeartWalk.org.