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Community Corner

Syosset Residents Volunteer at Long Island Heart Walk

The American Heart Association's Annual Heart Walk and 5K Run took place at Jones Beach on Sunday.

The American Heart Association hosted its annual Long Island Heart Walk and 5K Run on Sunday at Jones Beach, and thousands of people from the Long Island region came out to support the cause and to join the fight against heart disease.

A few of the participants were Syosset residents themselves. Elora Weil was onestudent who assisted the organization during the event.

“I heard about the walk through another friend who was going with her dad,” Weil commented. “I love volunteering and it sounded like fun!”

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Weil, along with other volunteers, set up healthy snack stations for walkers and runners and also distributed cups of water along the pathway.

Opening events began at 8 a.m. at Jones Beach’s Field 5. Live entertainment was provided by the Adelphi University cheerleading squad, along with performers from Nassau Community College who sang the Star Spangled Banner.

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One speaker got the participants pumped up and ready to get moving with an interactive warm-up dance routine to Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger.” Sponsors such as Whole Foods provided smoothies and other nutritional snacks for participants.

The walk began at 10:15 AM. The route started at Field 5 and continued until the end of the Jones Beach boardwalk, at which point people turned around and walked back. Runners of all ages were cheered on by volunteers and loved ones alike and were followed by the walkers along the boardwalk.

Participants wore t-shirts and made posters to honor the lives of family members and friends lost to heart disease.

The event also allowed surviving stroke and heart disease victims to fight back against America’s leading cause of death. Red and white caps were provided for survivors to wear during the walk. These hats were symbols of their strength and dedication in fighting the disease.

All in all, the day served as a way to raise money for the organization and its efforts to increase awareness about heart disease and its risk factors.

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