UD Heart Walk teams reach new high

2:56 p.m., Sept. 27, 2005--At this writing, UD was the fourth highest fund-raiser in Delaware for this year’s American Heart Association (AHA) Heart Walk, held Sept. 11, in Wilmington.

It was the largest walk to-date, with 4,000 participants raising more than $400,000 for education and research on the nation’s leading killer, heart disease.

The University’s team captains, 142 walkers and employees raised $14,831, surpassing last year's $14,600 and coming in just behind Christiana Care, AstraZeneca and St. Francis Hospital.

Richie Holland, HR manager and UD’s Heart Walk co-coordinator, said he was gratified at the results of this year’s walk. “Everyone understands how important this event is. Their dedication and enthusiasm are a tribute to the University of Delaware.”

"This year's Heart captains did an outstanding job of recruiting walkers and raising funds,” Marianne Carter, director of UD’s Employee Wellness Center and walk co-coordinator, said. “The terrific turnout illustrates what I already knew, that UD is a caring community."

Carter, a captain, collected $2,340 in donations, the highest amount raised by an individual at UD. "I lost a good friend, Lea McElrath, to a heart attack,” Carter said. “She died at the age of 41. It feels good to raise money in her memory, especially since most of these funds will be used towards education and prevention of heart disease."

The teams, named for their captains, brought in $14,586:

Carter-$3,259;
Alice Daugherty, College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy-$1,935;
Patricia Fogg, facilities-$1,467;
Richie Holland, human resources-$1,185;
Christina Papola, Alpha Phi, College of Health Sciences-$700;
Amy Roe, Center for Energy and Environmental Policy-$1,308;
Marcia Rollison, Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics-$1,710;
Randee Tobin, College of Health and Nursing Sciences-$1,240;
Sharon Turner, Office of the Executive Vice President-$585; and
Kathleen Werrell, engineering-$1,197.

The largest teams were organized by Papola with 42 walkers, Tobin with 25 and Fogg with 19.

“The 500 Club," individuals who collected more than $500, included Rollison, Carter, Holland, Leila Lyons, IT-User Services, Roe and Tobin.

UD’s presence at the Walk was highly visible, Carter said, especially with YoUDee and the UD cheerleaders cheering everyone on.

Article by Barbara Garrison

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