|
2 BigHearts Foundation Raises
Funds and Awareness
At its Second Annual Golf
Tournament.
LONG BEACH,
IN (Sept. 21, 2005) — On a crystal clear
Sunday afternoon, over 70 golfers,
supporters and well-wishers converged on the
Long Beach Country Club Sept. 18, 2005 to
attend the Second Annual 2 BigHearts
Foundation Golf Tournament. The event
was a resounding success, raising funds for
education and research and awareness of
heart disease in women, the number-one
killer of women in the United States.
The 2 BigHearts
Foundation was established in the summer of
2004 to increase awareness of the issue of
heart disease in women and to give to people
whose lives have been materially impacted by heart disease affecting a woman. The
Foundation was created by Jim Clarke, whose
wife Gigi Clarke and Gigi’s sister, Sally
Czechanski, died on the same day, June 25,
2004, following heart attacks. Both women
suffered from previously undiagnosed
cardiomyopathy, or enlargement of the heart
muscle. Gigi was 44 years old; Sally was 49
years old.
“This is a
strong turnout, and I am grateful to each
and every participant for giving of
themselves and attending this important
event,” Mr. Clarke told the group of about
100 participants at a special dinner
following the golf outing. “The money we’ve
raised here today will be put to very good
use — educating women about the dangers of
undiagnosed heart disease.”
The golf outing
also featured a silent auction, with items
donated ranging from jewelry and golf at
great courses in the area to original art,
cooking lessons, White Sox tickets, dinners,
handmade quilts and crafts, gift baskets and
more, presented to the highest bidders.
Money raised from the silent auction will
also be used to help execute the mission of
the Foundation. As part of that mission, the
2 BigHearts Foundation significantly
underwrite free heart screenings for women.
These screenings were successful in
detecting potentially dangerous heart
conditions in several women.
“That’s what the
2 BigHearts Foundation is all about;
education — and raising awareness by serving
as a catalyst for intervention,” explains
Jim Clarke.
“The Foundation
was established to honor the lives and
legacies of my wife and my sister-in-law,”
he continues; “to remember how they died and
how they lived, and to honor their spirit of
giving, sharing, and touching other people’s
lives. They were the most giving and
benevolent people I will ever know, and I
want to continue that legacy of pure
altruism through the work of this
Foundation.”
The mission of
the 2 BigHearts Foundation also has a strong
educational and informational component,
according to Jim. Gigi and Sally suffered
their heart attacks as a direct result of
cardiomyopathy, a silent killer that is
completely avoidable with diagnosis and
treatment. Neither Gigi or Sally experienced
any prior symptoms, nor were they ever
diagnosed with significant heart problems.
“With the
2 BigHearts Foundation, my mission is to
educate others regarding the dangers of
undiagnosed heart disease in women, ” Jim
says. “What happened to Gigi and to Sally
should not ever happen to anyone. Life is
precious, and if some level of understanding, hope and inspiration comes
from this Foundation, it will be worth
every second. And worthy of the memories of Gigi and Sally.”
For more information on the First Annual
2 BigHearts Foundation Golf Tournament and
the 2 BigHearts Foundation,
visit
www.2 BigHearts.org.
- END -
|
