Kim Edmonds certainly will never forget her first Metro St. Louis Heart Walk. It was 2012, and Edmonds—who was born with a congenital heart defect—was doing her part to raise money for the event. Having had open heart surgery to repair her aortic valve the year before, Edmonds says she was keen to help raise awareness about heart disease. She had just completed a warm-up at a Zumba fundraiser she was hosting when she went into cardiac arrest. “The doctors had given me the all-clear, but something still wasn’t right,” Edmonds says, adding that many cardiac arrest patients do not survive. She spent the next 10 days in the hospital and says she doesn’t remember that fateful day, or much of the week prior. “If your heart isn’t pumping right, your brain doesn’t work properly,” she explains.
This year, the Heart Walk takes place May 6. If the American Heart Association Greater St. Louis Division meets its goal, 10,000 pairs of feet will pound the city’s pavement that day, starting at Busch Stadium and winding along downtown streets for up to 3 miles. “This is a true community event,” says Madelyn Alexander, the local chapter’s communications director, noting that the St. Louis walk, which has taken place for more than 25 years, is now one of the largest in the country.
This year, the local arm hopes to raise $2.1 million through corporate sponsorships and participant donations. While there is no participation ‘fee,’ walkers form teams and raise money in advance of the event. “St. Louis is an extremely generous community, so with support, we are confident we’ll reach our goal,” says executive director Jennifer Jaeger. There is no minimum donation, she explains, but the average contribution is around $250. Money raised supports the overall mission of the American Heart Association to increase awareness about heart disease, and it also funds research at local institutions like Washington University and Saint Louis University. Aside from the one time her mom walked in her place, Edmonds says she has participated in the event every year since that fateful one, and estimates she has raised more than $10,000 in total for the cause. “I walk because I want people to understand that heart disease can affect us all—young, old, men, women, black, white. It doesn’t discriminate,” she says.
Jaeger explains that, in addition to the walk itself, there will be vendor booths, children’s activities and healthy foods on tap at Busch Stadium. “It’s an inspiring, hopeful day,” she says. “We welcome survivors, caregivers and anyone who has been touched by heart disease and stroke. And it’s not often people get to walk around on the field!”
Pictured: ‘Executives with Heart’ participants are high-level donors who help raise funds for the Heart Walk campaign.
Photo: Tim Parker Photography
The American Heart Association hosts the 2017 Metro St. Louis Heart Walk May 6 at Busch Stadium. The event is locally sponsored by SSM Health and supported nationally by Subway Restaurants. Weber Chevrolet is the St. Louis My Heart, My Life sponsor. Pictured on the cover, from left: Rich Etzkorn, Doug Audiffred, Doug Knowling, Gretchen Leiterman and Jana Vogler. For more information or to make a donation, visit metrostlouisheartwalk.org.
Cover design by Julie Streiler | Cover photo by Tim Parker Photography
