Alex Palmieri – News Writer
Wear Red Day is to raise awareness for heart disease, Jess Scibek said.
“It’s more prevalent even in women,” said Scibek, assistant director in the Fitness Center. “So a lot of it is go red for women or it’s the red dress campaign from the American Heart Association.”
Scibek said she wants to raise awareness for how many people have heart disease and heart complications such as heart attacks and strokes.
All of the money that the American Heart Association raises will go towards prevention efforts for preventing heart disease and developing new treatments and prevention also things such as getting people to exercise.
“There are also events such as the New Haven Heart Walk where they raise even more money,” said Scibek.
Southern is a sponsor of the New Haven Heart Walk and Scibek said they have been for the past three years. In a few months, Scibek said they are going to try to get heart walk teams together along with student groups to join a Fitness Center team and raise money for life saving work to prevent and treat heart disease. She said the Fitness Center is only one part of the equation. There have been heart walk teams from academic departments, other university departments and the Exercise Science Club.
“Those student groups have already created their heart walk team,” said Scibek. “Any of the money we raise by selling bracelets for $1 are going to go their heart walk team fundraising totals.”
There are several events that were held as a part of Wear Red Day. One was a partner yoga class on Valentine’s Day. Scibek said this can bring a strong social connection and it is a good way to take care of the heart.
“We also have a Zumba class, so anybody that wears red from SCSU can get into the class for free,” said Scibek.
Megan Viento, student marketing manager, said red day’s main purpose is to raise funds for the American Heart Association. She said they teamed up with the public health society with donations.
“Most of our donations were going to benefit the exercise science and the physiology club’s heart walk team in May I believe,” said Viento.
Viento said she hopes the Southern community can gain awareness of heart health and how important being active and fit can benefit everyone.
“On our cardio machines,” said Viento, “we have now added a bunch of heart healthy facts. There’s a bunch of different facts; there are like 25 of them. All of them relate to fitness and how it benefits your health.”
Keion Harris, a sophomore psychology major, said Wear Red Day is good for the Southern community. He said it is very important to raise any kind of awareness to faculty and staff.
“I think anything like that is helpful to the community around here,” said Harris.
Harris said he has donated blood regularly for the past couple years. He said he is trying to give back to people.
“I donated blood in the ASC Ballroom,” said Harris. “For me, if something good happens to me, I feel good. But at the same time if something good happens to someone else, they’ll feel good. So why not just spread that same feeling?”
Photo Credit: Alex Palmieri