SUMMERDALE, Ala. — For $ 5, you could buy a Starbucks, a hamburger or a couple of Krispy Kremes…or you could donate it to the American Heart Association and give 100 adults the opportunity to learn CPR and recognize the signs leading to a stroke or heart attack.

Becky Ginn hopes you choose the second option.

As Vice President of Development for the American Heart Association, Ginn was “rallying the troops” so to speak on Wednesday morning at Baldwin EMC’s training center in Summerdale as she spoke about the upcoming 2011 Alabama Gulf Coast My Heart. My Life. Heart Walk to be held in Foley’s Heritage Park on Saturday, October 8. There will also be a walk in Mobile on Saturday, September 24.

Talking to team leaders gathered from various companies throughout the county, Ginn explained how getting on board with the heart walk and getting teams together to raise money would help fund the fight against heart disease and stroke and provide much-needed funding for further research.

“When it comes to heart diseases and prevention, it’s really a no-brainer. We have made such amazing technological advances in the last 20 years with stints and surgeries and the fact that people are recovering so quickly from surgeries and going back to work the next day. The results are fantastic,’” said Ginn, who has been working with the AHA for the pst 15 years.

After an absence of a while, Ginn said they are so excited to be bringing the walk back to Foley, whose route will follow the Rose Garden trail and will begin at 9 a.m. . Other festivities will begin at 8 a.m. and include interactive displays and a kids area plus a CPR demonstration site featuring a kit with a 20 minute DVD and a mini-dummy for practice.

“We have a donor who is giving us 200 of these kits and whoever comes to the demonstration gets to take a kit home with them. They are so easy to learn on and I heard of a sixth grade student who was able to save the life of his teacher because he learned from this kit,” Ginn said.

Sponsors of the event include IP Casino/Resort/Spa (signature sponsor), Springhill Medical Center and Kaiser Realty (My Heart. My Life. sponsors), Meyer Vacation Rentals, Riviera Utilities, Saad Healthcare and SSI Group (water station sponsors), Hancock Bank (bank night sponsor) and Subway (national sponsor).

Ginn explained the company leader’s job was to “oversee your company’s participation…recruit and manage team captains to recruit walkers from your company. Your goal is 15 walkers and each walker is asked to raise $100.” Team leaders are to be named by Friday, July 22 and walker names are to be turned in by Friday, August 19.

Each company can create their own web page for the walk and keep up with pledges and donations and team members through it, Ginn said, and anyone who wants to pledge can do so online at the company page.

Three co-chairmen will be coordinating the event this year, Phil Cusa, former CEO of Thomas Hospital (Fairhope), Leonard Kaiser, Kaiser Realty (Gulf Shores) and David Horton, Riviera Utilities (Foley).

Cusa, Horton and Kaiser have all had heart-related issues and surgeries and are very passionate about getting the word out to their companies and the community about the importance of this walk.

“You need to look at how you can be a part of the walk and see how it relates to your family. My father had open heart surgery and I have had some heart issues as well and this really means a lot to me,” Cusa said.

David Horton recalls how his mom died of a heart attack at 39 in 1969 before they had many of the life-saving procedures they do now. “She didn’t die because of the heart attack but because of fluid collecting in her lungs and doctors not having the means to help her at the time. That and my brother dying of a stroke was the most devastating thing I have had to go through and I am so thankful for the research and education doctors have been able to do and they progress they have made in this area.”

Having stints put in to relive an aortic blockage causing pain in the legs and hips 11 years ago, Horton said the surgery was a lifesaver. “After the stints were put in, I had 75 percent flow from my heart to my legs and I felt fantastic. It was a n amazing process and that is all the more reason for me to be motivated to work with the heart walk. It’s all about getting people motivated and recruiting people to get involved and have sponsors that are community-minded.”

Emily Gonzalez, Kaiser Realty marketing director, told the crowd about how their company makes the walk fun and competitive for their teams. “Leonard had his second pacemaker put in this year and its a daily fight for him and that is why it is important for us to support the heart walk. We really get involved and raise as much money as we can and are very competitive with each other We have tricycle races and dress up in costumes and have lots of fundraisers. It is so fun and motivates us to raise more. We are looking forward to a great time this year.”

Committed to visiting each company and thanking them for making a difference in their community is one of the goals of the AHA, Ginn said. “The money we raise saves lives and that’s why we are here. So many people are touched by heart disease and this event will only be as great as we make it. We are not just concerned with the heart, we are concerned with the whole body and how you can get and stay healthy.”

Some facts to think about:

- AHA has been able to invest more than $1.4 billion into research

- Within the last 40 years, development of CPR, bypass surgery and coronary care units have been established

- Within the last 30 years, balloon angioplasty came into being

- Within the past 20 years, development of heart transplant rejection drugs, coronary stints and use of laser angioplasty

- By 2020, the AHA will improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent. This would result in 250,000 lives saved every year

For more information about the AHA or the heart walk, contact Christina Quick at (630) 661-6742 or go to: www.algulfcoastheartwalk.org.