Local Sorority Group Helps Kick Off American Heart Health Month

From AKA: February is American Heart Month as designated by the American Heart Association. To kick things off, on the first Friday of February everyone is asked to wear red as a symbol of support for women’s health and to bring awareness on how to prevent heart disease and stroke.

In conjunction with the initiative, members of the Sigma Psi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. invited the community to join them in a free Zumba session and presentation on staying heart healthy.

Dr. Michelle Richards, president of the chapter, said certain eating habits and lack of exercising coupled with the everyday responsibilities women take on, can compound stress, resulting in high blood pressure and heart disease which lead to a myriad of other health issues.

“Heart disease is the number one killer of African-American women,” Richards said. “Our culture is one that celebrates with food. Good "soul food" for the soul rings true in many of our families. As a result, we indulge in certain foods and lack the physical activity to compensate. “
About four dozen women gathered in a community room in Wyandanch where they learned health and wellness tips from a certified nurse practitioner then got their heart rates up moving to the beat.

Richards said the event was a success in that it serviced women of African and Latin descent and everyone left the event empowered to change their diets and increase their physical activity.
“Cardiovascular Nurse Practitioner, Jacquelyn Crawford, educated us on how to use our Body Mass Index to drive our lifestyles,” Richards said. “Karen Braxton, Certified Zumba Instructor, made sure everyone was able to break a sweat to rhythmic tunes and beats.”
As an added benefit to the community, attendees were asked to bring non-perishable food donations.

“We collected nearly 100 non-perishable food items to donate to The First Haitian Community Resource Center, Inc., in Ronkonkoma,” Richards said.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc is the nation’s oldest Greek letter sorority founded by black college-educated women. It was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington D.C. on Jan. 15, 1908. Since then, the sorority has flourished into a globally-impactful organization of nearly 300,000 college-trained members. Sigma Psi Omega chapter was founded June 23, 1990 in Hauppauge, and is based in Bay Shore. Dr. Richards is available for phone interviews by appointment.

To set up an appointment or for more information, contact Deborah Hollingsworth at dsvmh1@yahoo.com or 631-682-6356.

Image via AKA