July 1, 2002--The University of Delaware once again will be a major participant in the annual American Heart Association Heart Walk, to be held at Wilmington’s Riverfront on Sunday, Sept. 15.

The UD Team includes employees, students, friends, neighbors and alumni. For several years, UD has been among the top 10 fundraising company participants, and last year raised more than $11,000.

Registration for the three-mile walk/run along the Christina River begins at 8 a.m., and the walk steps off at 9 a.m. from the area near the Shipyard Outlet Shops. A post-walk party is scheduled at 10:30 a.m., and all activities will be completed by noon.

The annual event is held to raise funds to fight heart disease, the nation’s leading cause of death. Walkers solicit donations from friends, family, co-workers and neighbors before to the walk. There is no minimum amount of money that must be raised; however, all walkers are asked to raise some funds.

Prizes are awarded for different levels of fundraising, Participants who raise $100 will receive a Heart Walk T-shirt, and the first 100 UD walkers who turn in pledges of $50 or more will receive a UD Heart Walk T-shirt that they can wear the day of the race.

Food, music, health screenings and celebrity visits are all part of the family-friendly event.

To sign up or to receive additional information, contact UD’s Employee Wellness Center at 831-8388.

Several UD “heart captains” have volunteered to help recruit walkers, provide information and collect pledge envelopes prior to the walk. For information or to register, send an e-mail to one of the heart captains:

Linda Smith, Employee Wellness Center, at [lasmith@udel.edu],

Randee Tobin, College of Health and Nursing Sciences, at [rrtobin@udel.edu].

Melissa Fulghum, physical therapy, at [mfulghum@udel.edu],

Kathy Roth, Morris Library, at [kroth@udel.edu],

Marianne Carter, Employee Wellness Center, at [mcarter@udel.edu],

Donald Redmond, labor relations, at [donr@udel.edu] and

Mary Miele, in medical technology, at [mmiele@udel.edu].