The Hilo Heart &Stroke 5K Walk on April 1 will celebrate 20 years of raising funds to help prevent heart disease and stroke on Hawaii Island.
The Hilo Heart &Stroke 5K Walk on April 1 will celebrate 20 years of raising funds to help prevent heart disease and stroke on Hawaii Island.
The event at Liliuokalani Gardens was first organized by the late Hilo cardiologist and American Heart Association volunteer Djon Indra Lim as a way to bring business employees and community organizations along with families and friends together to learn, share and practice lifestyle habits that will lead to healthier, longer lives free of heart disease and stroke. Participants are encouraged to raise funds to support the association’s work to end heart disease and stroke, and improve the health of Hawaii residents.
“Heart disease and stroke remain the No. 1 and No. 3 causes of death in Hawaii,” said David Honma, senior vice president and Hawaii region manager for First Hawaiian Bank, and an AHA Hawaii Division board member. “But thanks to the AHA’s work, great strides have been made over the 20 years since the Hilo Heart &Stroke Walk began to reduce those health risks to our local residents.”
On-site registration and festivities begin at 6:30 a.m. and the walk kicks off at 8. A family health fair will also be offered from 7-11 a.m.
Those participating in the Heart &Stroke Walk will be offered free health screenings, health activities for the entire family and education including “hands-only” CPR training during the health fair. Free healthy food samplings and refreshments also will be provided.
Prizes will be awarded to top fundraising teams and walkers. To be eligible for the top prizes, donations must be turned in to the American Heart Association by Wednesday. All walkers who raise a minimum $100 will receive a 2017 Hilo Heart &Stroke Walk T-shirt. Top walkers will be eligible to win a two-night “staycation” at the Mauna Lani Bay and Bungalows in an ocean view room for two, a round of golf for four at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and a two-night staycation in an ocean view room at the Royal Kona Resort. The top fundraising team will win a $150 gift certificate from Subway.
Parking for the event will be available at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. Travel on Lihiwai Street will be closed to one-way traffic during the walk and no parking will be permitted on Banyan Drive at Liliuokalani Gardens and at Hilo Bay Café during the event.
For more information or to register to participate in the walk, visit www.hiloheartwalk.org or contact walk director Ann Oshiro-Kauwe at 282-3107 or ann.oshiro-kauwe@heart.org.
Follow the American Heart Association on its local Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hearthawaii or call 282-3107.