American Heart Association calls upon community to help meet fund-raising goal

RENO, June 25, 2009 – The American Heart Reno Division is currently $250,000 away from reaching its 2008-2009 fund-raising goal. This amount is equivalent to the amount necessary to fund six highly meritorious researchers who could be pursuing potentially life-saving projects in the Northern Nevada community.

"These researchers are responsible for many of the scientific discoveries that enable us to live longer, healthier lives,"explains Charles Johns, Executive Director of the American Heart Association Reno Division."This research is a large part of our success in meeting, ahead of schedule, our 2010 Impact Goal of reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 25%."

To put this into perspective, the 25% reduction in deaths means 160,000 men, women and children have been saved by these researchers and American Heart Association supporters.

According to Johns, the Reno Division worked diligently this past year exploring new ways to ensure donor dollars were invested wisely. "While we pride ourselves on how we regularly invest our donor dollars, we worked even harder this past year to keep our event expenses down to ensure that donations had a maximum impact on our mission,"Johns explains, adding, "We had to focus on internal savings before asking the community to step up and make a larger investment."

Johns hopes the generous spirit of Reno residents, will encourage the community to continue its support of the American Heart Association by making a contribution to help close the critical funding gap by June 30, 2009.

"We are asking individual donors to help fund researchers who rely on the American Heart Association to establish their careers," he notes. "Imagine where we would be if research projects such as, those that led to successful heart transplants, the creation of the pacemaker and medications that regulate high blood pressure, did not receive AHA funding."

Johns challenges individuals to make a contribution this month to join the fight against Reno’s #1 and #3 killers —heart disease and stroke. "By making a contribution this month to help close that gap, you will be making a difference,” Johns stresses. “And together, we will be saving lives."

For more information, or to make a lifesaving contribution, please call (775) 322-7065 or mail a contribution to American Heart Association, 1281 Terminal Way, Suite 111, Reno, NV 89502.

About the American Heart Association

Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association today is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart diseases and stroke. These diseases, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases, claim nearly 870,000 lives a year. To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit americanheart.org.