American Heart Association raises $125,000 with recent heart walk
WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWTI) – Saturday's North Country Heart Walk helped raise over $125,000 over the weekend.
Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday, April 12 at Jefferson Community College, raising funds to further the American Heart Association's lifesaving mission.
Is heart disease reversible?
In addition to raising critical funds, the heart walk brought together heart disease and stroke survivors, as well as participants from dozens of local companies, to unite in the mission to save lives. Every walker who joined the event, every dollar donated, means more people trained in lifesaving CPR, more research and more lifesaving moments for everyone.
Donations can be made until May 12 at www.NorthCountryHeartWalk.org.
The Heart Walk is a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we come together. By supporting this year-round initiative, we're not just raising funds—we're equipping more people with lifesaving skills and making the North Country a stronger, healthier place. Our vision is for every home to be prepared to respond to a cardiac emergency, and we're grateful to everyone who helped us take a big step toward that goal.
Rich Duvall, president & CEO of North Star Health Alliance and volunteer chairman of the Heart Walk
During the event, the American Heart Association also presented Heartsaver Hero Awards to a group of employees from Kinney Drugs. When their coworker Darcy Kerr collapsed at the Gouverneur store a few weeks ago, employees took action to save her life. They called 911 and worked together to provide compressions, give breaths and talk with dispatchers.
When EMTs arrived, they took over compressions and used an automated external defibrillator
to shock Kerr's heart back into rhythm after several tries. She is recovering well and was able to attend the Heart Walk on Saturday. The Heartsaver Hero Award was presented to Dan Ragan, Brandi Romano and Becky Toomey.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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