This time of year is often referred to as “The Season of Giving,” and we thought we’d share two SLayers’ stories about their involvement in the American Heart Association Heart Walk. Like last year, we split up into fundraising teams for the AHA with a goal of raising $100,000. In addition to those fundraising efforts, SoftLayer also encouraged employees to get active and get involved in the annual Heart Walks in Houston and Dallas. Here’s our on-location coverage from two team captains who attended those events this year:
Dallas
My name is Fabrienne Curtis, and I work in the Accounting Department at SoftLayer. I joined a team with thirty other people (from several different departments) to raise money for the American Heart Association, and because I love to help and work on community projects, I volunteered to be a team captain. Our team had a ton of great ideas for fundraisers, so we set an ambitious goal of raising $12,400 ($400 per person). When the dust settled, I’m proud to report that we me that goal with a total team tally of $12,488 (which SoftLayer then matched).
Beyond the fundraising, participating in the Dallas Heart Walk at Victory Park was a highlight this year. No one on my team knew that this walk had a personal meaning to me … I lost my dad to congestive heart failure and wanted to walk in his behalf. When I got to the Heart Walk, I was touched. There was a “Survivor Wall” and there were several signs where you could share who you’re walking on behalf of. If not for SoftLayer, I probably wouldn’t have participated in the Heart Walk, so as I wrote on the wall and created a sign for my dad, I thought about how good it felt to work for a company that truly cares about the well-being of its employees.
SoftLayer added a little flair to the event by setting up a photo booth for people to take pictures and take home, and with the help of Don Hunter, Hao Ho and my husband Jerry, 679 photos were taken!
Here are some pictures I snapped from the 2012 Dallas Heart Walk:
Thank you SoftLayer for having a heart! If you want more coverage of this years event, check out this Dallas Heart Walk 2012 video and click through to our Dallas Heart Walk Flickr album.
-Fabrienne
Houston
Dallas didn’t get to have all of the fun when it comes to the AHA Heart Walk, and I made sure to document the Houston goings-on to share with our avid SoftLayer Blog readers. From bake sales to ice cream socials, the Houston office was diligent about donating money and raising heart-health awareness for months prior to the 2012 walk, and those months were extremely eventful. Like Fabrienne, I jumped at the opportunity to be one of 18 team captains at SoftLayer, and considering the fact that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of Americans, I was inspired to get everyone involved.
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not in the best of shape, so a five-kilometer walk through a course at Reliant Stadium would be pretty challenging. My team had been tirelessly preparing for the 5k “mini-marathon” walk, and as November approached, you could sense the excitement and enthusiasm brewing. Walking only one mile can add up to two hours to your lifespan, so in the process of preparing for the walk, we added quite a few hours to our collective lives. When the big day finally arrived, we were ready:
Given that our day started at an unbelievable 7:00am on a Saturday, most of our participants were tired-eyed and ready to chow down on the free burritos and fruit provided by SoftLayer, and by the time we fired up the photo booth and broke out the goofy props, everyone was wide awake. It’s like they say, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day … Give a man fun props and a camera, and he’ll have a blast (and pictures that can be used against him.” Actually, I don’t know if “they” say that, but it’s true:
Before we knew it, a gunshot of glitter and colorful confetti got the crowd of people moving down the 3.1-ish mile track, and we were hooting and cheering, pumped to represent our company! By mile two, my legs were a little wobbly and the sun was scorching, I could see that our dog, Rikku (whom had been carried the entire way) looked was confused about why I was putting her through the exhausting task of being comfortably in my arms as we herded through the people like cattle.
AHA water stations and mile markers reminded us that we were doing it for the best cause ever: The people we love and the people of the past that have been lost due to heart disease. It’s a safe bet that if you don’t know someone directly affected by heart disease, you will eventually. The American Heart Association organizes these fundraisers and walks every year across the world to gather donations and raise awareness so that one day, we may be able to conquer this silent killer. With their donations, they’re able to participate in research for preventative treatment, provide education to children to avoid obesity and fund medical research that could one day breakthrough and save lives.
All in all it was a wonderful experience, one that I’ll definitely be sure to be a part of next year.
-Cassandra
