Employees join national movement to raise awareness of heart disease in women
WHITE PLAINS: On February 6th, Westchester County Clerk Timothy C. Idoni and his staff put on their red and jeans and raised $1,960 from a bake sale, raffle and sales of “Go Red for Women” ribbons, pins, and bracelets. “Go Red for Women”, a national campaign of the American Heart Association (AHA), educates women about the risks of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
“The statistics are alarming. Every minute, a woman succumbs to heart disease and though preventable, heart disease is still the number one killer of women in the nation,” stated Idoni, who has a personal connection to the disease with the loss of his own mother, Florence Idoni, in 2006. “My mother lived a long and fulfilling life but in her last years she suffered due to complications resulting from heart disease,” recalls Idoni. The “Go Red for Women” movement empowers women with the information they need to reduce their heart risks by making lasting lifestyle changes now that can improve their overall heart health. In honor of his mother and all of the women who have died or suffer from heart disease, Idoni pledged that his office will continue “to do our part to raise awareness among women to make the right choices and halt the risk of heart disease.”
“I salute my staff, county colleagues, and the public for enthusiastically embracing the ‘Go Red’ movement by committing to improve not only their own health, but also the health of the important women in their lives,” concluded Idoni, who noted that sixty-four percent of his employees are women. Proceeds from the bake sale, which featured an assortment of delicious home-baked goods donated by staff, and the raffle will go to the American Heart Association to continue the fight against heart disease in women. To find out more information about the nationwide “Go Red for Women” movement, or to make a donation, contact the local Westchester/Putnam regional office of the American Heart Association at (914) 694-6464 or visit http://www.goredforwomen.org/.