Cookies, bracelets, and t-shirts will be on sale again this week on Friday, Jan. 27, leading up to a pep rally that will be held on Friday, Feb. 3 in the main gym, all to raise awareness for heart disease.

The pep rally will be the finale of the “Go Red for Women” campaign, which is dedicated to raising money and awareness to fight heart disease, the number one killer of women in the United States. The date of the pep rally, Feb. 3, is also National Wear Red Day, and students are encouraged to wear red to the rally, which will feature various special events, including an obstacle race.

“We’re planning an obstacle race that will be between teachers and students,” life skills teacher Renuka Venkataraman said. “We don’t have particular details about how it’s going to look, but it’s going to be an obstacle race. There’s going to be all your typical pep rally events, but this particular one is going to be specifically for the Go Red Campaign.”

The fundraiser, which began last Friday, will be held outside D121 where T-Shirts, bracelets, and cookies will be sold to raise money for the American Heart Association.

“What we’ll be doing is promoting specific heart events at Lovejoy High,” Venkataraman said. “So we are going to have three Friday sales events.”

T-shirts will be sold for $10, bracelets for $5, and cookies for $1 each.

“All proceeds will go to the American Heart Association,” Venkataraman said.

The American Heart Association, which was founded in 1924 and is based in Dallas, is a non-profit organization that advocates heart disease prevention and works to decrease the chances of disabilities and deaths among those who have suffered from heart disease or strokes. National Wear Red Day is an effort to raise awareness on the signs and symptoms associated with heart disease, particularly among women.

“Warning signs for woman and heart disease present differently and many times get overlooked,” said Sancy Fuller, the district’s executive Director of Special Education and Academic Support. “This campaign is about heart health awareness.”
As a result of the AHA’s efforts, cardiovascular disease mortality has dropped 70 percent since 1968, and the lives of 670,000 women have been saved over the last 10 years.