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COVER STORY: A DECADE OF A CIRCLE OF RED
A Decade of A Circle of Red
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF FIGHTING FOR WOMEN'S HEART HEALTH
By Kristy Smorol
S
usan Crossett, CEO of CPS Recruitment, has been a member of the Circle of Red since it launched 10 years ago. “When I first joined, it was because three women in my life
have heart disease, including my mom,” Crossett said. In fact, one in three women die of heart disease. It’s a high price to pay for being a woman, and the Circle of Red has spent the past decade trying to change
that. The Circle is part of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement, which is dedicated to removing barriers women face to experiencing good health and wellbeing.
When the Circle of Red started, the group of 14 influential women were committed to raising awareness for women’s heart health. “I got pulled in by a group of women making great strides in our community,” said former Circle of Red chairwoman Evelyn Ingram, director of community engagement at Wegmans. “It was a group of women I respected and saw as role models. I think they saw something in me, too. It brings a smile to my face when I think back on when I first got involved in the Go Red for Women campaign.” Nationally, the Go Red for Women movement launched in 2004 because too few women knew cardiovascular disease was their leading killer. All too often, women put themselves last as they fill the simultaneous roles of mom, wife, caregiver, executive, teacher, and more. The simple fact is, women don’t move enough, don’t eat well enough, don’t sleep well enough, and don’t manage stress or blood pressure well enough. Continued on page 22
Syracuse Woman Magazine
SyracuseWomanMag.com
