N.D. Heart Walk August 13

The American Heart Association seeks North Dakota residents to participate in the North Dakota Heart Walk. The date has been set for 5 p.m. Aug. 13 at Rendezvous Park in West Fargo. Teams are welcome from across the state. The planning of the Heart Walk will be led by Rachel and Chris Lerum, who have lived in the Fargo-Moorhead area for 18 years. Chris Lerum is the senior director of technical support at Microsoft. Rachel Lerum is a special education teacher at Moorhead High School and school counseling graduate student at North Dakota State University. The couple have volunteered for the Heart Walk for five years, and are excited about the chance to lead the effort to raise money for research, education and awareness.

“Because of my involvement in the education field, I find myself passionate about increasing education and awareness about heart disease,” said Rachel Lerum, who has worked in education for 14 years. “I think knowledge is the best tool to fight heart disease and I’m encouraged by the opportunities to increase that knowledge through the money raised at the Heart Walk.”

The North Dakota Heart Walk will feature a 1-mile, 3-mile and 5k Fun Run this year. It educates participants about the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and stroke, and what people can do to prevent them. At the finish line, walkers are engaged in music, entertainment and healthy snacks; as well as three villages of different educational activities, including health screenings, a kids’ area, nutritional information and shoe fittings.

The North Dakota Heart Walk is free for everyone. However, participants are encouraged to raise by funds asking their family and friends for donations in person. Or, they can take advantage of technology and log on to www.northdakotaheartwalk.org –sign up and start sending e-mails to fundraise online.

Last year the North Dakota Start! Heart Walk raised $200,000. This year’s goal is $225,000. 

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