Mount Olive Area Heart Walk steps off Saturday at Mt. Olive Pickle Co.
By Melinda Harrell
Published in News on October 16, 2015 1:46 PM
Organizers have finalized the events for the day of the 2015 Mount Olive Area Heart Walk, which will raise money for the American Heart Association for heart disease research.
The Mount Olive Area Heart Walk will be this Saturday beginning with registration at 8 a.m. at the Mt. Olive Pickle Co.
Around 30 teams have signed up and have been raising money for the Heart Walk throughout the year.
Organizers for the Heart Walk are hoping to have the 2015 walk mirror last year's success.
Rhonda Myers, co-chair for the Mount Olive Area Heart Walk, helped organize last year's walk. She said the 2014 event exceeded many expectations.
"Last year our goal was $25,000, and we raised over $40,000," she said during a recent Heart Walk planning session. "This year our goal is $35,000. We have a lot to do to get everything going. Every penny raised counts to a good cause."
The Heart Walk will begin at 9 a.m. after all the teams have registered.
There will also be a silent auction that will close at 11 a.m. (this time could change should all the walkers still be on the nearly 3-mile walk around downtown).
Baked goods will also be for sale, which will feature whole cakes and pies as well as individual portions.
Ms. Myers also said there will be torches for sale in honor or memory of a person who is battling or has battled heart disease.
People with personal experience of struggles with heart disease will also be at the Mount Olive Area Heart Walk this Saturday to offer testimonials.
Organizers are still seeking people that can offer a testimony the day of the event. Though the Heart Walk is Saturday, teams can continue to raise money through the end of end of the year.
The Mount Olive Heart Walk, which began in the 1970s, is the only Heart Walk held in Wayne or Duplin counties, and teams from all over Wayne and Duplin as well as surrounding counties are welcomed to participate.
For more information about this weekend's event, contact Rhonda Myers at 919-581-3638 or Stan Ricker at 919-222-9299.