CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — As part of her campaign to raise awareness of the risks of heart disease, a Coastal Bend woman will host a Heart and Sole Run/ Walk on North Padre Island on March 9.
Kalen Perez, a Registered Nurse and business owner, is one of four 2024 American Heart Association woman of impact. Each year, people nominate women to represent their community to raise money for the fight against cardiovascular disease.
According to the AHA, CVD is the number one health threat to women. Nearly 45% of women over the age of 20 are living with some form of CVD.
As part of her many fundraising events, Perez invites people to honor the memory of a loved one and participate in a 1K kids jog/ walk and a 5K run/ walk on the morning of March 9 at the seawall on Padre Island.
Perez said the event is not timed, and there will be no awards, but participation medals will be given to the first 100 people who sign up.
She asks for participants to send a picture of any loved one lost to cardiac disease, diabetes or stroke with each registration. Each picture will be placed on a ‘Memory Heart Wall.’
If people can't make it to the event in person, a virtual option is available between March 3-10.
To submit a picture of a loved one and to sign up for the walk, visit the Heart and Sole 5k Run/Walk website.
To donate to the American Heart Association, click here.
