Heart walk honors two 2013 Heart Stars


The American Heart Association 2013 Jefferson City Heart Walk kicked off with 750 people coming together at Memorial Park.
The American Heart Association 2013 Jefferson City Heart Walk kicked off with 750 people coming together at Memorial Park.

The American Heart Association hosted the third annual Jefferson City Heart Walk 5K Saturday at Memorial Park.

The event's goal was to raise $170,000 to fund American Heart Association research and education, as well as to advocate for health and to save lives. The American Heart Association bills itself as "the largest voluntary health organization working to prevent, treat and defeat heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases."

The event honored two 2013 Heart Stars - Aaron Grefrath and Graysi Strong. Grefrath had a dual pacemaker implant in 2010 when he was 38 years old. Strong, an 8-year-old from Jefferson City, endured cardiothoracic surgery when she was 3.