Despite the cold air and the early morning hour, students and area residents gathered Saturday morning to walk and demonstrate their solidarity against heart disease.
Survivors of strokes and heart disease dotted the crowd in red caps, many wearing tags on their backs reading, "I'm walking for me."
The annual American Heart Association fund-raiser had two goals - to raise money for research and to raise awareness.
About 75 people participated in the Heart Walk.
"It's to get people and students out to learn about the issue," said Kim Kesterke, a marketing senior and campus liaison for the Heart Walk. "It's just to raise awareness, and any amount of money helps."
Chuck Floyd, vice president of sales at Delta Dental, a sponsor of the walk, said 50 percent of women's deaths are attributed to heart problems.
"Heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined - it's the No. 1 killer of women," Floyd said. "We've got a long way to go and we need to prevent this preventable disease."
Floyd said about 700,000 people die from heart disease a year, while cancer claims about 553,000 lives per year.
Participants met at 8:30 a.m. for the morning walk, which started by Spartan Stadium.
Two routes were available for walkers - a 1-mile loop and a 3-mile trail.
Many of the walkers participated because of family and friends.
"I have a personal connection - all of my grandparents suffered heart disease and stroke," said Amber Ackley, 25, of Lansing. "(The walk) is a personal way to be fighting this."
Several groups of MSU students participated in the walk and fund-raiser.
"I wanted to get (students) involved because we have such a great presence in the community," Kesterke said.
The campus monetary goal was $500, but fund raising achieved $800, Kesterke said.
"I'm just really excited about reaching our goal," Kesterke said.
Students in residence halls, such as Wilson Hall, contributed $400 by their own initiative.
"They got approval from RHA and the students collected donations on their own time," Kesterke said.
The other half of the $800 was raised by students in an Introduction to Human Nutrition class. Students were able to earn additional points and help a cause related to their studies.
"I came to get the extra credit," said Karen Dettloff, a criminal justice sophomore who is in the nutrition class. "But it seemed like a fun event."
