The 24th Annual American Heart Association Heart Walk Comes to Tesoro Viejo, Today

Central Valley residents are invited to participate in the American Heart Association's 2016 Central Valley Heart & Stroke Walk and Lawyers Have Heart Run. The 24th annual "Heart Walk" includes a 5K Run and 2 Mile Walk plus Kid's Fun Run. The event is set for Saturday, October 22 at Tesoro Viejo, an upcoming master-planned community located at Highway 41 and Road 204, just 10 minutes north of River Park Shopping Center.

Presented this year by Tesoro Viejo, the annual Heart & Stroke Walk is the largest local event for the association and is expected to draw over 2,500 walkers and runners and has raised roughly $180,000 so far. All proceeds will go toward the American Heart Association's overall goal of funding research to find better ways to treat and prevent cardiovascular diseases and stroke while providing educational health resources to the local region.

"We are thrilled to host the Heart Walk at Tesoro Viejo, where participants can take in the scenery of vineyards, orchards and gorges along with the beautiful backdrop of Little Table Mountain," said Karen McCaffrey, vice president of The McCaffrey Group and chair of this year's Heart & Stroke Walk. "Tesoro Viejo was designed with healthy, sustainable living in mind, so The Heart Walk is a natural fit for our community. It's a great opportunity to promote physical activity and heart-healthy living, in an atmosphere that is fun for the entire family. We're very proud to be the local presenter."

Everyone is invited to participate in the non-competitive 2 mile Heart & Stroke Walk that starts at 9:30 am. Walkers will follow a course that will wind past natural gorges, orchards and vineyards. Over 75 local businesses have already signed up and will be represented with teams of employees bringing along friends and family members of all ages. Those not on a company team are invited to form community teams to help raise funds and encourage friends and family to participate.

Heart disease and stroke survivors will receive special survivor caps to distinguish them from the rest of the pack. Participants can walk or run and there is no registration fee for the walk. Walkers who raise $100 or more will receive the official 2016 Heart Walk t-shirt.

The Lawyers Have Heart Run kicks off at 8:00 am and is a timed 5K event on a moderate trail. The $40 registration fee benefits the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. All runners will receive an official Heart Run t-shirt. Participants will have their run timed, and the top male and female runners will be awarded prizes.

Participants are invited to stick around and peruse the health expo where they will find booths on wellness, healthy snack samples, a kid's zone with fun activities for kids and other fun booths and activities.

According to the American Heart Association, walking is the simplest positive change individuals can make to effectively improve their heart health because it's free, easy and has the lowest dropout rate of any exercise. Research has shown walking is the single most effective form of exercise to achieve heart health. The benefits of walking and moderate physical activity for as little as 30 minutes each day can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke - the number one and number 5 killers of Americans, respectively.

For information on participating or to make a donation, visit http://www.centralvalleyheartwalk.org or call (559) 650-4010.

About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke - America's No. 1 and No. 5 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit http://www.heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.

The Heart & Stroke Walk is sponsored nationally by Subway and locally presented by Tesoro Viejo. The local Heart & Stroke Walk top sponsors include Community Medical Centers, Vulcan Materials, Camarena Health, Kaiser Permanente, and E-Z Haul. The media sponsors are CBS 47, Telemundo 51, The Fresno Bee, Y101 and Mega 97.9. For a complete list of sponsors, visit http://www.centralvalleyheartwalk.org.

About Tesoro Viejo
Situated at the foot of Little Table Mountain, Tesoro Viejo, is an upcoming 1,600 acre master-planned community located off Highway 41 in Madera. A model of innovative design and sustainable living, the community will be a vibrant hub for southeast Madera County where residents can live, work, and play with housing and business opportunities, a walkable town center, green living, thriving industry, and neighborhood parks and schools.