On Thursday morning, the American Heart Association’s first-ever Southwest Virginia Woman of Impact will be named at a special breakfast celebration.
For the last nine weeks, nine local women have held special events and fundraisers for the campaign, aimed at improving heart health in the region. Their goal is to better the community through education and outreach and leave a lasting impact by bringing critical, life-saving funds for research to the area.
Recommended Videos
The breakfast will take place on Thursday at the Shenandoah Ballroom in the Hotel Roanoke from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
During this time, guests will get a look at some of the activities the candidates put together as part of the campaign. This year’s nominees are:
- Jennifer Huffman, Atlantic Union Bank
- Amanda Kenney, EddyAlexander
- Kate Capodanno, WDBJ7
- Lisa Archer, Edible Blue Ridge
- Alicia Smith, F&S Building Innovations
- Lori Brown, Star City Private Wealth Management
- Alyshia Merchant, Divine Fog Realty
- Diane Simmons, Simply Fitness by Diane
- Veronica van Montfrans, Virginia Tech
“These women are inspirations to us all, with every one of them focused on improving heart health in the region,” said Christie Steele-Garcia, Development Director for the American Heart Association. “Each has found her own unique way to bring the Women of Impact campaign to life in Southwest Virginia and I’m so proud and excited of the work they’ve done. The region will benefit from their energy, creativity, and passion for helping others.”
Woman of Impact is an extension of the American Heart Association’s long-standing Go Red for Women movement, a nationwide push to increase women’s heart health awareness.
Beginning on National Wear Red Day, Feb. 7, hundreds of ‘Woman of Impact’ nominees nationwide embarked on a 9-week journey to help transform the health of women. Each week, nominees and their Impact Teams, made up of friends or family members, participated in activities designed to create a culture of wellness and health equity.
To learn more about the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement in the Southwest Virginia region, visit http://www2.heart.org/RoanokeWOI.