CLEVELAND - In February, women throughout Cleveland will join the American Heart Association's national Go Red For Women movement to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease, the No.1 killer of women nationwide. The Go Red For Women movement gives women the power to significantly reduce their risks of heart disease and live long, healthy lives.

On Thursday, February 2, the Cleveland American Heart Association, with presenting sponsor KeyBank, will host its third annual Go Red For Women Breakfast and Awareness Extravaganza at the Cleveland Downtown Marriott at Key Center. Doors open at 7:00 a.m. The program is scheduled from 8:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m.

Over the past two years, the Cleveland Go Red event has grown in size and enthusiasm. As a result, special interest breakout sessions have been added to the morning's festivities. Breakout sessions will be held from 9:45 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. and include:

Individual tickets for the event can be purchased for $100 (price includes admission to wellness sessions). Funds raised from the event will support women's heart research and education programs. For details, contact the American Heart Association at (216) 791-7500.

Attendees will experience the Go Red For Women movement through free health screenings provided by Kaiser Permanente, a heart-healthy breakfast, educational forum, a high energy Go Red fashion preview by Pen-E-Ventures and a motivational keynote address by The Plain Dealer's Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Connie Schultz. Alicia Booth of NewsChannel 5 will host the morning's festivities.

Lisa Oliver, president of KeyBank's Cleveland District, is the event chairperson. This event will prelude yearlong Go Red For Women activities that will take place throughout the Greater Cleveland area.

Additionally, Friday, February 3, has been coined "National Wear Red Day." The association is encouraging individuals to wear red and corporations to light its buildings red, throughout February, in support of all women who have been touched by heart disease or stroke.

According to a recent American Heart Association survey, ninety percent of women feel they have power over their health -- but only 27 percent say their heart health is a top priority. This lack of urgency about such a serious health threat contributes to the deaths of more than 500,000 American women every year.

"Heart disease and stroke claim more women's lives each year than the next seven causes of death combined, and nearly twice as many as all forms of cancer, including breast cancer," says Oliver. "We believe that getting the message out to area women will make a difference and help equip them with the tools they need to take control of their heart health."

The American Heart Association movement is sponsored nationally by Macy's and Pfizer. KeyBank serves as the exclusive financial services sponsor within its communities from Maine to Alaska, and over the last year has raised $700,000 for Go Red For Women through employee and customer client contributions as well as corporate donations. Additional supporters of the event are Cleveland Magazine, NewsChannel 5, The Plain Dealer and University Hospitals Health System.

"Our focus is to empower women to reduce their risk of heart disease," explains Oliver. "The Go Red For Women campaign outlines a plan to help women take action against heart disease and stroke. These devastating diseases are largely preventable, so helping women understand these serious health threats can make a lifesaving difference."

American Heart Association:
Since 1924 the American Heart Association has helped protect people of all ages and ethnicities from the ravages of heart disease and stroke. These diseases, the nation's No. 1 and No. 3 killers, claim more than 930,000 American lives a year. The association invested more than $407 million in fiscal year 2002-03 for research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs so people across America can live stronger, longer lives.

KeyCorp:
Cleveland-based KeyCorp is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $93 billion. Key companies provide investment management, retail and commercial banking, consumer finance, and investment banking products and services to individuals and companies throughout the United States and, for certain businesses, internationally.

Note to Editors: For up-to-date company information, media contacts and facts and figures about Key's lines of business, visit our Media Newsroom at Key.com/newsroom.

KeyBank

KeyBank

KeyCorp's roots trace back 190 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $176.2 billion at March 31, 2021. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,100 branches and more than 1,400 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC. 

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