Buehler’s campaign raises nearly $54,000 for AHA
For the fifth year in a row, Buehler’s Fresh Foods joined the fight against heart disease and stroke by supporting the American Heart Association. Presenting a check to AHA Executive Director Lisa Wheeler-Cooper, right, and AHA Senior Development Director Samantha Campbell, fourth from left, are Buehler’s Milltown service and facilities manager Hope Murray, left, Buehler’s Milltown store manager Geri Shie, Buehler’s President and CEO Mike Davidson and Leigh Grove of Buehler’s Employee Experience/Community Relations.
For the fifth year in a row, Buehler’s Fresh Foods joined the fight against heart disease and stroke by supporting the American Heart Association.
From Aug. 27 through Sept. 23, Buehler’s participated in the association’s fundraising campaign, Life Is Why. The company asked customers to donate $1, $5 or $10 at the registers and raised a total of $53,994.80.
A check presentation took place at Buehler’s Fresh Foods at the Milltown location in Wooster, 3540 Burbank Road, on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
“As an employee-owned company, we are passionate about the health of our community and our employees,” said Mike Davidson, CEO of Buehler’s. “Heart disease and stroke affect so many of our loved ones, and the American Heart Association truly makes a difference in the lives of people right here in Wayne County. This donation wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of our customers and hard work of our employees, and for that, we are truly grateful.”
Buehler’s donation supports the 2023 Wayne Heart Walk, and the dollars raised will help improve the health of people in Wayne County. Currently, more than 19% of Wayne County residents suffer from hypertension, another 30% have high cholesterol and 36% of the population is obese. In addition, 37% of Wayne County residents have limited access to healthy food, and 36% of high school students use tobacco products including cigarettes, chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes.
“We are working hard to change these statistics,” said Lisa Wheeler Cooper, executive director of the American Heart Association in Northeast Ohio. “In the last year in Wayne County, the American Heart Association provided blood pressure monitors to patients at highest risk, created blood pressure hubs in underserved communities, and provided CPR, first aid and choking relief training in the community. All of that was possible because of donations like those through the Life Is Why campaign.”
Donations through the Life Is Why campaign also allow the association to do the following:
—Fund research that can improve the health outcomes of heart and stroke patients.
—Train more than 2.5 million high school students in CPR annually.
—Support local organizations working to improve health outcomes in under-resourced communities.
In addition to contributing to saving lives through Buehler’s, donations can be made directly to the American Heart Association at www.heart.org/lifeiswhywegive. To learn more about the Life Is Why campaign and other participating companies, visit www.heart.org/lifeiswhywegive.