Lakeland College

Lakeland, American Heart Association partner for Red Out tonight

Athletics - posted on 12/6/2012

The Lakeland College women's basketball team - normally decked out in navy blue and gold - will be sporting red on Thursday, December 6, when the Muskies host their inaugural Red Out, an evening of information and fundraising for the American Heart Association.

Fans attending that night's 7 p.m. game against Maranatha Baptist Bible College are encouraged to wear red as the college partners with the American Heart Association (AHA) to help spread the word about the importance of heart health and risks associated with heart disease.

Lakeland Professor of Music Janet Herrick will be an honorary coach with the women's basketball team. Herrick is a heart attack survivor, and she underwent successful open heart surgery this past spring to repair an unrelated heart defect.

Prizes will be available throughout the game, and some special halftime activities are planned. Staff members from Coulis Cardiology will be on hand to share information about heart disease and heart health.

Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 4 killers in America and Sheboygan County, accounting for over 33 percent of all deaths locally, according to the American Heart Association. Moderate to brisk walking for one hour can add two hours to your life expectancy.

The American Heart Association educates over 5,000 students in Sheboygan County each year on being heart healthy, certifies local hospitals as providing the best treatment after a stroke, and has successfully lobbied for everything from AED placement to smoke-free workplaces all in the name of healthier hearts and longer lives in Sheboygan County.