Above photo is from the 2017 Heart Walk.
Each year the American Heart Association (AHA) holds a Heart Walk to get people up and moving across the nation and raise awareness on heart disease and stroke. Participants walk to take a stand against heart disease and raise money for the AHA and their mission to fund lifesaving science and research. Due to COVID-19, the AHA’s annual Heart Walk went virtual this year, encouraging participants to walk at their own discretion, time and location over a period of four weeks.
Even during these challenging and unprecedented times, Electric Boat employees stepped up to the plate and took part in this year’s virtual Heart Walk to raise money for the American Heart Association. EB’s Al Ayers, Director of Total Rewards, Health and Wellness, was the 2020 Executive Leader who spearheaded the American Heart Walk campaign this year at EB. A total of seven teams joined the virtual walk from Electric Boat.
The top fundraiser for the region and for Electric Boat was Mandy O’Dell from D436, who raised $1,960, beating out 270 other walkers. Mandy was also the leader of EB teams “The Mandy” and “Ely Team” – together, with ten other team members, they raised a total of $4,562. In the end, Electric Boat came in as the top company in the region out of 25 teams, raising a total of $7,107.
Since 2013, EB has had a friendly competition with Mohegan Sun to see who could raise the most funds for the AHA through the annual Heart Walk. EB had a running winning streak for three years (’13, ’14, ’15), with Mohegan taking the win the last four years (’16, ’17, ’18, ’19). This year we came back, beating our friendly rivals who raised $3,601. In 2013, Mohegan gifted EB with a trophy resembling the casino as a prize for winning, and in 2016, EB gave Mohegan a submarine model to congratulate them on their win. Now, a winner is declared solely for friendly bragging rights!
Overall, this year’s Heart Walk campaign was a success, with a grand total $106,758 raised from all the regional companies for the American Heart Association. Thank you to all who participated in this effort to raise funds, celebrate survivors and for taking steps to save lives.
