American Heart Association’s 2009 Brooklyn Start! Heart Walk, Co-Sponsored by Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus, Raises $165,000

More than 1,200 volunteers participated in the AHA’s first walk in Brooklyn;
"Team LIU," 150-strong, dedicated the walk to
the late Bernadette Walker, the Campus’ beloved former dean of students

Brooklyn, N.Y. -- On Sunday, October 11, Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus co-sponsored the American Heart Association’s 2009 Brooklyn Start! Heart Walk in Prospect Park. The event, which raised awareness and funds to support the fight against cardiovascular diseases and stroke, was the first AHA walk to be held in Brooklyn. It attracted more than 1,200 participants and raised $165,000.

At least 150 members of the Brooklyn Campus community participated in the walk, raising more than $5,000 for the AHA. Kim Williams Clark, dean of institutional advancement and student affairs, and La’Shaina Dickerson, director of special projects and events at the School of Business, served as the Brooklyn Campus’ walk leaders.

Wearing t-shirts that read, "One Good Deed" on the front and "DW" on one arm, the Brooklyn Campus contingent dedicated the Heart Walk to the late Bernadette Walker, the Campus’ former dean of students. When "Team LIU" posed for group photos, the students shouted out, "Dean Walker," expressing their love and admiration for the former dean.

In addition to completing a 3.5 mile or 1.5 mile walk, participants had the opportunity to visit the Create Hope, Inspire Change and Celebrate Success communities, which featured free health screenings, nutrition and fitness information, resources on heart disease and stroke, product sampling and much more.

Posted: October 14, 2009