I’m on the planning committee and will be helping to emcee the Central Florida Bloggers Conference on September 15th in Orlando, Florida. I’m super excited about it because it’s a chance for hundreds of bloggers and social media all-stars (current or up and coming) to get together and share stories, advice and more. Tickets are on sale now but will go up in price the closer we get to the event so sign up ASAP!
One of the amazing things that we’re doing a this year’s Central Florida Bloggers Conference is a project called “Blogging for Good.”
By “Blogging for Good” we’re uniting together to make a change here locally. You can participate in our “Blogging for Good Program presented by the Rollins Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership Center by simply making a choice… a choice to write about something powerful, something beneficial, something right here in Central Florida.
Simply follow these directions to become a “Blogger for Good.” It’s free an easy and you’ll also be in the running to win some awesome prizes like a $100 American Express Gift Card or even an iPad 3!
And, lastly, if you choose, you and your readers can get a raffle ticket for one of six incredible baskets our nonprofits have put together just for this occasion! 100% of the money raised goes directly to the nonprofit of your choice, so, come on and join the movement!
Special thanks to the Rollins Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership Center for their support of this program!
Ahhh this one pulls at my heartstrings — and yes, I meant to be punny. Because the featured non-profit this week is the American Heart Association and its Greater Orlando Heart Walk.
It’s a major fundraising event, and the money goes to make a difference where it counts:
Improving patient care — We’re improving the quality of health care by creating best practices for treating heart disease and stroke. Our Get With The Guidelines hospital-based quality improvement program helps heart and stroke patients get the best treatment consistently. Mission: Lifeline helps patients with the most severe kind of heart attack get the specialized emergency services they need to survive.
Advocating for better health — Our nationwide volunteer network, You’re The Cure, advocates for key issues at the national, state and local levels such as requiring physical education in schools, clean air legislation and making AEDs mandatory in public buildings.
Reaching out to populations at risk — Blacks have higher risk and higher death rates from stroke than whites. Our Power To End Stroke education/awareness initiative helps African Americans share information to reduce their risk of stroke. More than 23,000 key opinion leaders, including mayors, professors, ministers and celebrities, have been recruited to be ambassadors working within their own community.
Raising awareness — Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women over age 25, but many women don’t make their own health a priority. Through Go Red For Women, we’re raising awareness among women about their risks and empowering them to protect their heart health.
Protecting the future — Nearly one in three children and teens in the United States is overweight or obese. As a result, more kids than ever before are developing high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. We are helping kids develop lifelong healthy habits and working to make sure that today’s children can grow up to be tomorrow’s healthy adults.
Educating Americans — We save lives every day by offering information and education. We pioneered CPR and millions of Americans use our patient education materials and online tools to help themselves and their loved ones live longer, healthier lives.
I have blogged before about my own heart condition, called SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia). I am so, so lucky that in my case, careful monitoring is all I need to stay healthy and safe, although I’m keenly aware that heart disease is a major killer of women. And with 36,000 babies born every year with heart defects every year, I’m obviously quite concerned with BabyBug‘s health as well.
So, have a heart. And take a look at what the AHA is doing in Orlando and across the country.
About Katy
I usually support the AHA through the Lawyers Have Heart 10K in D.C. I love the Go Red For Women campaign.