Lowcountry Heart Walk Pictures

Lowcountry Heart Walk, Charleston, S.C.

This is what happens when people take my ideas seriously. Heheh! Isn't it a grand sight!

I roped Bill Edwards from Harborview Exxon into bringing his sweet red '55 Chevy convertible to lead the heart walk and had the idea that the giant heart mascot could ride in the back seat. Everyone was wiling to give it a try. I had visions of the heart blowing off backwards and landing on the pavement but all went well. We didn't have a broken heart at the heart walk.

Update for my team's donations: $68,316.90. Wowza!

I am getting lots of hits for photos. These are the links for those of you looking for Lowcountry Heart Walk pictures:
Roper St. Francis Healthcare album
General Heart Walk album
Post & Courier Link

Lowcountry Heart Walk - 2009

Start! Lowcountry Heart Walk, Charleston, S.C.

It's been a full day, kids. After all the build up, today was the lowcountry heart walk. I am always relieved when I am responsible for taking a bunch of pictures to wake to overcast skies and today was perfect. We had adorable kids, dogs, parrots, gorillas and giant hearts. It was a colorful occasion!

The walk goes three miles along the waterfront and back. I usually take pictures of the walkers as they leave and then catch them on the way back, but this time I had arranged for a red '55 Chevy convertible to be the pace car and Bill Edwards from Harborview Exxon asked if I wanted to hop in. Coolness! I rode with him, his adorable grand daughters and the giant heart mascot waving and taking pictures. That is indeed the way to ride a walk. Too fun!

Roper St. Francis Healthcare raised $64,674.16 and had 743 signed up to participate. Clearly too many to fit in one group shot. Whew. I think I can call it a successful fundraiser.

Thank you, thank you to everyone who participated, especially all my team captains. Some of my happy gang ended up at the Buccaneer Restaurant for snacks after wards and enjoyed a well earned post walk party.

Photo Album

Don't hate me because I am beautiful...

Men in Red, Charleston, S.C.

Girls just wanna have fun!

The Red Dress is the national symbol for heart disease awareness and prevention. At the hospital I work at, we've turned the Red Dress into an oddly successful fund raising prank. It all started four years ago when I asked one of my volunteers to sew a couple red dresses - in men's sizes.

We set it up so that the gentleman in whose name we donated the most money, would have to wear the Red Dress in public, parade through the hospital and sit down and have lunch in the hospital cafeteria. The prank has taken on a life of it's own, growing more successful and raising more money each year. The promo photo ops have become more and more elaborate and I send around links to photo albums making staff all over our facilities splutter and spill coffee over their key boards. Wives and girlfriends donate accessories and Dillards actually loaned one of our physicians two dresses to wear last year.

From Anesthesiologists to Pharmacists, our Vice Presidents and CEO's, they have been oddly horrified and flattered when asked to represent a heart walk team. The Women's & Children's staff even roped in one of the on-site construction workers.

This is how I ended my day today, taking pictures of five men from our Central & Physician Billing Office. Their co-workers almost died laughing while I was taking the picture and a man walked out, talking on his cell phone and started handing the "ladies" dollar bills.

Thanks guys! Just keep reminding yourself that it is for a good cause! Thanks to Leah Sparks for coordinating the happy chaos.

Cycle Chic Junior

Trike-a-Thon, Charleston, SC

Watch out Charleston Cycle Chic, there are some new girls in town! It's clearly never too young to look stylish on a bike.

I stopped by the Roper Learning Center's Trike-a-Thon for the American Heart Association this morning and had so much fun watching the kids ride laps on their tricycles. It was too, too, too darned cute for words.

I took pictures of the boys as well as the girls but these gals reminded me of the Charleston Cycle Chic group. They define Cycle Chic as:

So what is Charleston Cycle Chic?
It’s a movement to move, an expression of style, and a show of grace. It’s a celebration of life and the wind in your hair. It’s about getting out of your car and taking back the bike. (And looking fabulous while doing it.)

These kids definitely look fabulous!

Dr. Sock Monkey reporting for rounds....

Dr. Sock Monkey, Roper Hospital, Charleston, S.C.

I am still playing around with the theme "Don't Monkey Around With Heart Disease" for my American Heart Walk team so here is Dr. Sock Monkey reporting for rounds. Ha! I cracked myself up with this one. I made the monkey and Dr. Geer donated a shirt for the cause.

I carried Dr. Sock down to Roper Hospital one quiet Sunday morning to figure out a photo op and naturally got caught by a visitor as I pulled a monkey out of my backpack. His mother was in the hospital for a cardiac procedure so it all made sense to him and he had a quick consult with the physician.

Dr. Sock Monkey has his own Heart Walk donation site. Somehow it is easier for him to ask for money than me. He has already raised $150 (thanks Mike, thanks Darla!). Consider making a donation! Help Dr. Sock Monkey stop heart disease in the lowcountry.

I am having a little kick off on Friday and asked the cafeteria to order peanuts for me. Hmmm...maybe little bananas?

Walk on.....

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, Charleston, SC

I did a pretty good job of bribing hospital staff to walk around the campus for National Start! Walking at Work Day. Folks were told they could walk at any time but that certain employee leaders would lead groups at specified times. Our beautiful campus makes it look like they are going for a walk in the woods.

So many of our projects supporting the Heart Association involve ....ahem...unhealthy fundraising practices ranging from selling candy bars, Krispy Kreme Donuts, cupcakes and bake sales, it was nice to be part of an actual healthy event for the cause.

Here is the My Start Online page with lots of helpful features from the American Heart Association for anyone who likes to log their steps or miles.

Yep. I practically had to lay on my belly for the shoe shot.

Go Red Day

Marion Square, Charleston, SC

Brrrr. Not the best day to do a human heart. The cool part is that I got to climb the ladder to the roof of the Embassy Suites hotel to get the shot. That isn't a view we get everyday.

More later. I stopped at the house to upload a few shots for the Heart Association folks. Y'all behave.

Art for Heart

Chef Sean Brock at the Art Institute, Heart Association benefit, Charleston, SC

I was leaving work after a late volunteer orientation session and stopped to help a poor lady who had fallen in front of the hospital when my friend Andre' called to say that McCrady's chef extraordinaire Sean Brock was cooking at the Heart Institute if I cared to stop by and take pictures.

Cool, I thought, I am into the Heart Association, and asked which hospital it was at. Between the chaos I was in and his accent it turned out to be the "Art" Institute rather than the "Heart" Institute. You can color me confused when I walked in to the Art Institute to find all the Heart Association gals I work with on a regular basis working the fundraising benefit. Do I have your heads spinning? Mine was.

Needless to say the action was in the kitchen and I've discovered I have a season pass - my camera. What fun. Sheesh. These folks were artists. I was amazed and stunned to learn I was welcome to lift forks right out of their hands to taste the delicious treats. Omigod. They had no idea I meant to warm up a leftover slice of pizza for dinner.