Keith Zars Pools Teams Up with the American Heart Association and Go Red for Women to Inspire Heart-Healthy Action
Keith Zars Pools and the American Heart Association have an important common goal. We both strive to improve the health and lives of women across the country and around the world. The AHA is our world’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to creating healthier lives free from cardiovascular disease and stroke. Keith Zars Pools has partnered with the association as an activist, advocate and educator to help continually raise awareness and inspire others to make heart health a top priority. Our company’s past, present and future involvement aims to help improve overall heart health and ultimately save lives.
An unfortunate reality is that heart disease and stroke is the number one cause of death for women. Cardiovascular diseases claim the life of a woman every 80 seconds. As a result of these startling statistics, in 2014, the American Heart Association created Go Red for Women, a national moment advocating for swifter action to end heart disease and stroke in women. The AHA uses all revenues from local and national Go Red for Women activities to support awareness, research, education and community programs to benefit women and families.
Keith Zars Pools has partnered with the American Heart Association and is a Love Red Supporter. Our company’s head of marketing, April Powell, served on the Executive Leadership Team of Go Red for Women San Antonio, where they raised more than $331,000 locally in 2017-2018.
Circle of Red Holidays in Red Reception
Part of our commitment to the American Heart Association’s cause included a fundraising event Keith Zars Pools held on December 13, 2017. KZP’s Circle of Red Holidays in Red Reception invited guests to our Sales and Design Center to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, a friendly mix and mingle, welcome the AHA and listen to speeches thanking guests and sponsors. Our event’s keynote speaker was Dr. Denis Feliers, from the University of Texas Health and Science Center at San Antonio, who detailed Keith Zars Pools’ partnership with AHA and our volunteer work donating CPR kits to area schools.
San Antonio Go Red for Women Luncheon
Keith Zars Pools also attended the 2018 San Antonio Go Red for Women Luncheon fundraising event, which was held on February 8th at the Witte Museum. The museum turned red that day. It was filled with gorgeous tables with red decorations, beautiful red flowers and hundreds of women all dressed in red. Stunning red gowns sparkled and dazzled on display throughout the large room, along with Go Red for Women artwork designed by children from local San Antonio schools. Keynote speakers shared powerful, informative and touching stories to help raise awareness about the number one killer of women. An auction was held at the event to help raise money for the cause. The event had a wonderful turnout and was a tremendous success, raising $4,290 for the cause.
One speaker at the Go Red for Women Luncheon was a heart attack survivor. Living a healthy lifestyle as a wife, mother and physical education teacher, a woman named Melanie spoke to the audience about how shocked she was to find out at the emergency room a few years ago that she had 90 percent blockage in her heart. The ER doctor explained to her that the only reason she was alive that day was because she took aspirin prior to driving to the hospital. As a result of her traumatic experience, which she said was ultimately more emotional than physical; she tearfully encouraged every woman in the room that day to keep aspirin readily available. This survivor said if her story and her speech saves even just one life, it’s worth it.
President’s Day Open House
Keith Zars Pools was honored by the attendance of the American Heart Association at our company’s President’s Day Open House event held at our Sales and Design Center on February 19, 2018. The AHA provided free CPR and Heart Health Month information to all who attended.
Keith Zars Pools Donates Live-Saving Gifts to Area Schools
Keith Zars Pools is a proud local sponsor of Go Red for Women and CPR in Schools. To help spread awareness, education and lifesaving training, Keith Zars Pools has provided CPR kits to area schools that include manikins, training DVDs and training materials capable of teaching hundreds of students. Research has shown that 38 people each hour will experience cardiac arrest, and, without bystanders who are trained in CPR, 90 percent of these individuals will not survive.
Keith Zars Pools supports the belief held by the American Heart Association that children are the key to saving more lives in San Antonio and across the nation. Lawmakers in 37 states, including Texas, now require students to be trained in CPR prior to graduating high school. This amounts to creating approximately 350,000 potential lifesavers in Texas annually and more than two million potential lifesavers across the country each year.
As a pool company, Keith Zars Pools is invested in general health and safety and strongly advocates for lifesaving programs and initiatives just like the CPR kits. These kits include 10 manikins and 10 training DVDs that provide training materials for hundreds of students. Through the American Heart Association’s support, we were able to deliver a CPR training kit to a SCUISD board meeting in San Antonio that had hundreds of people and students in attendance. Shortly after, we delivered a CPR kit on April 10, 2018 to Incarnate Word High School of approximately 3,000 students. The kit was delivered during one of the school’s P.E. classes. Keith Zars Pools representatives gave a presentation and the American Heart Association San Antonio Community Impact Team conducted on-site CPR demonstrations.
Keith Zars Pools is devoted to inspiring others to make heart health a priority through providing understanding that changes minds and encouraging action that saves lives. We will be incorporating health initiatives in conjunction with the American Heart Association’s CCC program that is designed to empower patients and participants to take ownership of their own cardiovascular health. For more information and continuing updates about KZP’s participation with the AHA’s initiatives and our company’s personal local goals dedicated to the cause, please contact us at 210-494-0800 or visit our website at www.keithzarspools.com.
