Wayne County Heart Walk set for 2026

According to the American Heart Association, 9 in 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of the hospital die, and more than half don’t receive bystander CPR. CPR — especially if performed immediately — can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. To help improve cardiac arrest outcomes in Wayne County, Jody Starcher, director of supply chain at PRC-Saltillo, and Bonnie Hall, president/CEO at Westview Healthy Living, will co-chair the 2026 Wayne County Heart Walk, leading a year-round effort to rally companies and community members to raise critical funds and expand CPR education.

Heart Walk is the largest community-facing initiative of the American Heart Association. Through fundraising, community education and corporate engagement, Heart Walk aims to make CPR education and training more accessible, fund vital research and drive equitable health for all. Under Starcher and Hall’s leadership, top executives in Wayne County will work to recruit other organizations to join the local Heart Walk campaign and help build a community of lifesavers.

“Cardiac arrest can strike anyone at any time, and the outcome often comes down to whether someone nearby knows what to do,” Hall said. “We envision at least one person in every household feeling confident to perform CPR. By joining Heart Walk, Wayne County employers can help ensure that when it matters most, their employees are prepared to act during a cardiac emergency.”

According to the Heart Association’s 2024 CPR Perceptions Survey, 39% of people — or approximately 103 million U.S. adults — now feel “extremely confident” or “very confident” they could correctly perform CPR, up from 33% in 2021. That’s roughly 17.7 million more adults who are highly confident in their ability to conduct CPR, yet 61% still lack the confidence to act in a cardiac emergency.

“While we’re extremely proud of the progress that’s been made over the last several years, our work is far from over,” said Starcher, who also co-chaired last year’s Heart Walk. “We are committed to making Wayne County a safer, stronger community. We’re looking forward to seeing incredible results from this year’s Heart Walk campaign and hope the community will join us in making it a success.”

The Heart Association is a global leader in resuscitation science, education and training, and the official publisher of CPR guidelines. Through the Nation of Lifesavers movement, the Association is working to ensure more people are ready to perform CPR and be a vital link in the chain of survival, supporting its goal of doubling the survival rate from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by 2030.

The Wayne County Heart Walk will take place Sept. 24 at Kean Elementary. Hundreds of participants are expected to walk in celebration of local survivors and the lifesaving progress made in Wayne County. This year’s event is locally sponsored by Cleveland Clinic, Seaman Corporation and Buehler’s Fresh Foods. Companies interested in participating can contact local Heart Walk Director Julia Rieser at Julia.rieser@heart.org. Learn more and register at heart.org/wayneheartwalk.