Inland Empire Heart Walk is Oct. 13

The American Heart Association is touting the Inland Empire Heart Walk fundraiser on Saturday Oct. 13.

Organizers hope to draw more than 3,000 participants to raise money for the fight against heart disease and stroke.

The fundraiser is billed as a family event and it's scheduled to begin with registration at 7 a.m. Oct. 13 in Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd. in Riverside. A 5k walk is scheduled at 8 a.m.

There will be a Health and Wellness expo, a Kids Fun Zone, a healthy recipe demonstration, a Hands-Only CPR demonstration, live bands and more, Kristine Mosqueda-Kelly of the American Heart Association said.

Fairmount Park is about 15 miles from downtown Redlands and about 11 miles from Loma Linda University Medical Center.

The American Heart Association's mission is building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke, Mosqueda-Kelly said.

"The Heart Walk is an annual tradition that brings thousands of Inland Empire residents together in raising funds to help the AHA continue its efforts in public education and research funding to help experts better understand, prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases," Mosqueda-Kelly said.

Most of the funds raised at the Heart Walk benefit the local community in the form of research grants, community education programs, and health care quality improvement initiatives, Mosqueda-Kelly said.

"The Inland Empire area has one of the highest incidences of cardiovascular disease in California," said Robert Kain, senior vice president of healthcare for Heart Walk sponsor HMC Architects. "We need to band together as a community to stop this trend and the Heart Walk is a wonderful opportunity for local companies and families to take action and make a difference in the fight against our leading health threat."

Heart disease and stroke are America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers, according to the American Heart Association.

The Inland Empire Heart Walk is also sponsored by Subway, Jenny Craig, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Riverside Community Hospital, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, and Riverside Medical Clinic.

To register a team, join as a participant, or to learn more visit www.ieheartwalk.org or call (310) 424-4162.

Follow Redlands-Loma Linda Patch on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for the free daily newsletter here.