Medline Industries, Inc. issued the following announcement on September 22.
Medline and its employees, families and friends are once again supporting the American Heart Association (AHA) by participating virtually in the 2021 Metro Chicago Heart Walk, September 24 through 26. This year, Medline is also donating 5,700 reusable face masks to walk participants, the AHA and an AHA-affiliated community organization to help reduce the spread of infection in areas where COVID-19 continues to spread.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S. and world, according to the American Heart Association, which has a single goal – a life free from cardiovascular disease and stroke. Funds donated by Medline and its employees will support care for babies and kids with congenital heart defects, CPR training, and groundbreaking brain and heart research. Scientific breakthroughs, including pacemakers, cardiac stents and artificial heart valves, are also funded through AHA support.
Walking is an aerobic exercise and one of the easiest ways to increase physical activity and improve your health. Medline has proudly sponsored the Heart Walk for the past eight years. For six years, the company hosted thousands of North Suburban Heart Walk participants at company headquarters in Northfield, Illinois. To date, the company has helped raise nearly $700,000 for the American Heart Association.
“The pandemic has not stopped Medline from creating awareness and supporting employees and patients with heart disease,” said Karen Frey, Medline senior philanthropy manager. “Medline continues to stay committed to supporting the AHA and its mission through difficult times. We are thrilled to sponsor the Heart Walk again this year, and to help get masks into the hands of those at-risk.”
Medline donated 2,500 face masks for Medline 2021 Heart Walk swag bags, and 1,782 masks to Medline team captains to donate to a charity of their choice.
On July 29, the AHA held a Rally Day to encourage early registration for the Heart Walk. For every person who registered on that day, Medline committed up to 1,500 masks to The Southwest Collective, an AHA-affiliated community organization dedicated to breaking down barriers, borders and boundaries in order to build a community for all on the Southwest Side of Chicago. The Southwest Collective will distribute the masks through food giveaways, at pop-up events, to small business owners and throughout their network of library boxes at public parks.
“Rally Day was a huge success this year,” said Julie Troyer, AHA vice president, Heart Challenge. “We were able to recruit 1,500 plus walkers in a day, and raised over $220,000. It was remarkable and we can’t thank Medline enough for being a part of the match and for donating the masks. People were really excited for the opportunity to double their impact that day.”
Register here to join a Medline team at the 2021 American Heart Association Heart Walk.
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