Clubs support American Heart Month

Most of us can name a family member or friend who heart disease has touched. I can. That is why heart health does not feel abstract to me. It does not feel distant to the women in the General Federation of Women’s Clubs or the GFWC/ AFWC Book Lovers Study Club either.

I have belonged to these organizations for many years. During that time, I have watched our clubs put real effort behind real causes. We have supported cancer research, breast cancer awareness, scholarships, mental health, and Alzheimer’s research.

But heart health always rises to the top. We do more than talk about it.

From 2008 to 2010, GFWC/AFWC President Jane Wright chose “Promoting Healthy Hearts” as her president’s project. Because of that decision, our organization sent a $10,000 donation to the American Heart Association to support women’s heart health and the Go Red for Women program.

That money did not come from good intentions alone. It came from commitment. It came from action.

Across the country, GFWC members support American Heart Month and the “Go Red for Women” movement.

Here at home, our Book Lovers Study Club wears red to meetings and raises money for the American Heart Association. We show up. We participate. We give.

Heart Month pushes us to reduce heart disease and stroke through education, better public policy and research. It also pushes us to look in the mirror and think about our own habits.

The numbers make that urgency impossible to ignore. Heart disease kills one in three women. Nearly 45% of women ages 20 and older live with some form of cardiovascular disease.

For more than two decades, “Go Red for Women” has tried to turn awareness into action. The message stays simple. Know your risk. Lower it. Use the tools that help you live a heart healthy life.

Throughout February, communities hold events and activities that keep heart health in the spotlight.

“National Wear Red Day” stands out the most. On that day, people wear red and remind each other that heart disease still takes too many lives.

Fashion and entertainment have joined the effort too. Events like the “Red Dress Collection” use a big stage to deliver a serious message: heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of women.

February also brings Valentine’s Day. The holiday celebrates hearts, but candy boxes and heavy dinners do not always treat your heart kindly. A book about heart healthy living, or a shared promise to make a few better choices, might last longer than the chocolates.

In the 1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson designated February 1964 as the first month devoted to raising awareness about cardiovascular disease. Since then, that focus has not gone away, and it shouldn’t.

I encourage everyone, women and men alike, to make Heart Month personal. Take care of your own heart. Take care of the hearts you love. That responsibility does not belong to February alone.