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On Sunday, April 2, one hopes the weather in Winchester is sunny and fair because the 2023 Joe Reed Memorial Heart Walk awaits.

Named after the father of current Winchester mayor JoEllen Reed, the heart walk will look to serve more purpose than one.

“I would like to personally invite everyone in this community to come out and support this effort,” said Reed. “We’re trying hard to reduce heart disease. It’s the number one killer in the United States. Also, it’s the number one killer of women.”

The event takes place at Clark Regional Medical Center, located at 175 Hospital Drive, close to the intersection of Lexington Avenue and Bypass Road. ‘

In-person registration begins at 9:00 a.m., with the walk starting at 9:30 a.m.

The American Heart Association puts the event together in coordination with Clark Regional Medical Center.

“This is a walk that we do every year, and Clark Regional has supported it for many of the years,” said Shari Reynolds, Senior Director of Outpatient Services at Clark Regional Medical Center. “We’ll walk around the hospital. People can do a single lap [or] multiple laps … whatever they want.”

Specifically, the walk will start in front of medical offices A and B, with a portion of the parking lot blocked.

An archway will represent the starting point, with signs around the complex directing people where to go, with the choice of walking along the road or a sidewalk. Three laps are the equivalent of one mile.

The event will feature a host of volunteers, including Mallory Jones.

Now a sophomore at George Rogers Clark High School, Jones was competing for Robert D. Campbell Junior High School’s volleyball team when she began to feel ill.

After being taken to the hospital, it was determined that she had Non-Classical Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, a rare disease that causes the heart to beat irregularly due to additional electric pathways interrupting its rhythm.

Since then, she has continued her passion for music – even singing the national anthem at various events – and created a platform called “Be Smart. Love Your Heart”. The platform has been featured in multiple pageants, and Jones has even received recognition from Governor Andy Beshear.

“I’m advocating to put EKG’s in sports physicals, and to get more funding for AEDs in schools and more places …and to educate more people on CPR,” she said. “It was a very scary experience, but I’m blessed to have come out of it and used it to help other people.”

Jones is far from the only person willing to donate her time or resources, as the Heart Walk has raised approximately $27,000 of its goal of $30,000. Those donating include Infiltrator Water Technologies, Leggett & Platt, Heart Savers at Clark, and Beds of Hearts.

While cardiac health is prominently featured, there are other efforts Clark Regional Medical Center has taken to inform others of proper practices.

Immediately following the Heart Walk, a free Community Health Fair event will occur.

As a result, participants can receive several free health services, such as blood pressure checks, glucose screenings, hands-only CPR training, and more.

Entertainment will be provided through different services such as food trucks, games and activities, and exercise classes.

With the Joe Reed Memorial Heart Walk just around the corner, Mayor Reed – whose father suffered a heart attack – acknowledges that the issue is one she’s devoted to.

“It’s a tremendous honor for this Heart Walk to be named after my dad,” she said. “The Reed family is all about heart and heart disease prevention.”