February is Heart Month, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation is kicking off a month of fund raising in the community. Their goal, to see more people survive heart attack and stroke.
Sohee Yoo, Community Fundraising Specialist with the Heart and Stroke Foundation says that the month is both about education and raising money. With someone dying of a heart attack or stroke every seven minutes, she says that the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s role remains vital.
“It’s part of our effort to create more survivors and help them come home to their loved ones.”
Yoo says that while money is important, education is also a big part of each month’s event. She says that encouraging healthy eating is a big part of prevention, as well as teaching people about the signs of heart attack and stroke. Those signs include light headedness, nausea, sweating, chest discomfort, upper body discomfort and shortness of breath when it comes to heart attacks. The signs of stroke include weakness, trouble speaking, vision problems, headache and dizziness.
Canvassers will be going around the city through the month of February. Donations can be made by cash or cheque, though credit card donations must be made through the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s website at www.heartandstroke.ca.
Two of those canvassers will be Bev Berg and Deb Wilkinson, both long time supporters of the charity. Both women say that they wanted to give back to the community.
“I also feel it’s very important that the message get out that people should be watching what the signs of heart attacks are, and I think it’s good that this is focusing more on the education part of it now,” Berg adds.
Getting involved in Heart and Stroke, for Berg, came after losing family members to heart attacks, which she said made her realize just how important it was to get out and both raise money and educate people. For Wilkinson, while she does not have a family history of heart problems, she says that she feels it’s something that can help a lot of people and that is why she goes out to canvass.
This year’s goal is $7,500 for the city of Yorkton, a number Yoo says should be attainable, as last year Yorkton raised $6,700.
