Heart Health is a Family Affair

In 2007 my father was diagnosed with a heart disease called Atrial Fribrillation, in which the heart beats rapidly and erratically. At the time I was so young that I didn’t understand what was happening or
why my dad was in the hospital so often. But, through time my family realized the root cause of his heart disease was the way our family was living our every day lives. We all ate unhealthy and hardly
exercised. My parents were overweight and my father was a smoker for 35 years.

So, we decided to make a change.

We all began to exercise, eat healthier, lost weight, and my father quit smoking. Over the years my father’s condition, as well as the overall health of our family, has improved tremendously. With the help
of the American Heart Association my family was given the direction and support we needed to make this change.

Over the years, I have become deeply involved within this organization and it has grown very close to my heart. The mission set forth by the American Heart Association is simple, “To build healthier lives, free
of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.” That single purpose drives all that we do and the need for our work is beyond question. I’m honored to say I have been part of this organization and had the opportunity
to work side by side with the American Heart Association staff on some of the largest events in this organization.

With this said, I encourage you to make the decision. It starts with that. Decide to make the change. Know your family, access your environment, and DECIDE to make the change.

Check out the American Heart Association website at heart.org and the Alliance For A Healthier Generation at healthiergeneration.org for all your information! These websites have everything from heart healthy
recipes to easy exercises that you can fit into YOUR everyday life!

Specifically, I urge you to check out the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple Seven Steps and My Life Check. Thanks to science and research, the American Heart Association has created this simple tool
so you know where you stand on your road to good health!

Choose to make the change now. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for your family.

Much love,

Haley Rose Pontius

AHA Zumbathon & the Washington Wizards Basketball

On Saturday, I was asked to oversee the AHA booth at the Washington Wizards Basketball game. Miss Teen China, Lauren Yee joined me, as she also does quite a bit of volunteering with the American Heart Association.

We arrived, collected our VIP passes and went to work! After we got everything set up, we went down to the court to watch the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Seahawks warm-up.

It is amazing to hear some of the stories of those who have been touched by heart disease. It reinforces that heart disease touches everyone in some way. The night was full of photos, lots of educating and photos.

There was a Zumbathon for the half time show and we were so excited to meet the facilitators. They gave Lauren and I some great Zumba bracelets! At halftime , we were taken down the special elevator to the floor where we were announced and watched the Zumbathon performance. It was so much fun! Zumba, which is a form of dance and aerobics, has an official partnership with the American Heart Association.

The highlight of the night was meeting a group of ninth grade students from a school in South Carolina. They brought their school nutritionist on their trip to Washington, DC, who was especially excited to hear about how both the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Heart Association have programs to work with teens and young adults.

My Mom made an observation about the power of the “crown and sash”. During halftime, when we were down on the courts, there was no activity at the booth even though there were plenty of people milling about. However, when Lauren and I were working the booth, we were continually busy talking to people and taking photos with fans. I always have felt that the crown and sash is the best microphone to promote a platform, an idea that is clearly true at events like this one!

 

Juliana McKee

Jump Rope for Heart

Healthy lifestyles can help prevent heart disease and stroke. Eating healthy, nutritious foods, being physically active, staying tobacco-free, and maintaining a healthy blood pressure and weight are all part of a healthy lifestyle. Jump Rope For Heart helps get this message across to students.

Jump Rope For Heart promotes the value of physical activity to elementary schoolchildren while showing them they can contribute to their community's welfare. This is a time when children can establish the foundation for movement skills. These are also the years when positive learning experiences can help establish a positive attitude and appreciation for participating in regular, daily physical activity for life.

Jump Rope For Heart (JRFH) is a national fundraising program sponsored jointly by AAHPERD and AHA. JRFH is a valuable program that promotes physical activity, heart healthy living, and community service to children. JRFH is targeted at students in elementary schools, but anyone can hold a program at their school, child care center, community center, or anywhere!

The elementary school years encompass a time when children should establish a strong foundation for movement skills. These are also the years when positive learning experiences can help establish a positive attitude and appreciation for participating in regular, daily physical activity for life. The best reason of all to join this event is that kids love it!

I remember raising money from family and friends in the weeks leading up to Jump Rope for Heart when I was in elementary school and then getting to be a part of the fun on that special day; wearing my colorful “Jump Rope for Heart” t-shirt, getting prizes from the AHA, dancing and cheering along with classmates, and, of course, jumping rope!

On Valentines Day I got to relive those fun memories at Laytonsville Elementary School’s Jump Rope for Heart event! The students were energized and excited to jump rope, as well as to try to beat their fundraising record of over $9,000, which they raised last year. It was a great time!!!

Click here to read about children whose lives have been changed and, in some cases, saved by the money raised through Jump Rope for Heart events around the country!

Juliana McKee

Heart Month

February is American Heart Month and as a Spokesperson for the AHA, I have been very busy. I started Heart Month off by working with the Ross “Dress for Less” Stores to fundraise for the AHA. I manned a booth and solicited donations from shoppers, as well as informing them about the most common warning signs of heart disease and stroke.

I made Valentine’s Day cards for female cardiac patients with a campus organization– it was a lot of fun!

I worked behind the scenes to help prepare for the Crystal Couture fashion show and fundraiser for the AHA. Not to mention, I secured an internship with the American Heart Association office where I now volunteer weekly by going to the AHA Greater Washington Region headquarters and acting as the right hand to the Director of Marketing and Communications.

Also on my calendar for this month is a visit to a DC based elementary school, where I will help facilitate their Jump Rope for Heart event. This is a big national fundraiser that is carried out through the elementary schools across the country. I will also be speaking to the children about my story and healthy eating habits.

This week I will be doing a “Go Red” presentation for my sorority pledge class (more on this later). I have red dress pins for each of them and they are going to help me with some of my fundraising and AHA events!

As the month winds down, it will be culminating with a workshop for girls competing in pageants including all the Miss Teen DC and Miss DC International contestants. I plan to share with them my mission with the AHA and hopefully groom some of them as potential future volunteers! The following day I will be helping with a Zumba dance fundraiser to benefit the American Heart Association- I can’t wait!

I am also going to also be featured on my school website for Heart month- I’ll blog about this later as well!

Last but not least, I will be volunteering at the largest AHA fundraiser of the year- The Heart Ball! I hope to be a red dress model again this year- it was such fun last year!!!

Juliana McKee

Miss Teen International & Redskins host DC children at "Recess by the River"

Earlier this year, it was my privilege to hold some fundraisers to underwrite my support for the American Heart Association’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation and our mission to reduce the nationwide prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015. We are working to empower kids nationwide to make healthy lifestyle choices.

For the April event I was joined by the Beta Theta Pi fraternity on the campus of my school, the University of Maryland, College Park, for the ‘Tug of Warfare Tournament’ fundraiser. That event drew student teams from fraternities, sororities and other student groups to come together in fun for a good cause – and a great time was had by all!

In June I hosted my second annual dinner and silent auction to support the American Heart Association’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Thanks to the generosity of local restaurants and businesses and the kind people who attended, it was as successful as it was fun!

Last week, I had the opportunity to be a part of the fruit of those fundraisers: the proceeds of both of these events went to fund last week’s “Recess by the River” at which Washington Redskins Quarterback Donovan McNabb (the Redskin’s 2010 Health Ambassador) and I and others welcomed hundreds of Washington DC school children.

It was a wonderful time held at Northeast Washington DC’s Deanwood Recreation Center (great hospitality and a beautiful facility!) in which the children learned lessons about nutrition, exercise and healthy habits while having lots of fun and excitement. Due to Washington DC having one of the highest child obesity ratings, an event like Recess by the River can play an important part in giving kids a second chance at a long healthy life.

This was the third Recess by the River event, and I am proud to have been in at the ground floor and attended all of them.

It is wonderful to see such a beneficial program grow so quickly and successfully. I am grateful to the American Heart Association, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and most definitely the International pageant system for the opportunity this and other events have afforded me as I grow in my ability to provide support, leadership and service to youth.

Please keep watching my blogs – I’ve got a lot more good news and cheerful service to share with you!

Juliana McKee