Event Planning

The purpose of “Valentine's Day...Swim for your Heart” global swim event is to bring awareness of heart disease and prevention. You can plan a fun swim with your friends at your local pool, lake, or ocean. Or, plan a much larger event with involvement from your community.

Suggestions:

Involve your local Heart Association to be on premises and hand out literature on heart disease prevention.
Invite community leaders to participate in the heart disease awareness campaign
Contact your local hospital or heart center and ask if they will provide free blood pressures and cholesterol screening for all swimmers participating in event.
Contact local newspaper, radio, and television news to promote your swim.
Involve High School swim teams in the planning process.
Involve senior citizens
Use the Logo “Valentine's Day..Swim for your Heart” on swim caps, t-shirts, balloons, towels, etc.
Invite a cardiologist to oversee the event.
Invite a nutritionist to discuss healthy heart diet.
Invite a personal trainer to discuss importance of exercise.
Set time schedule: all day event or morning session and evening session.
Have a local supermarket donate “healthy snack” for all participants.
Encourage all swimmers to participate from recreational swimmer to the elite.
Invite local businesses to help sponsor event.
Invite young mothers/fathers with young children and have a “mom/dad and baby” splash.
Have a spokesperson for the event.
Have the spokesperson and cardiologist have a televised interview a few days prior to the event.
Discuss fundraising goals for your local Heart Association or other favorite heart program.
Have a healthy heart cooking demonstration from one of the local cooks.
Invite a celebrity swimmer to help promote the event. For example, in the United States Olympic Gold Medalist Ian Crocker visited area pools the weekend prior the event and held a "meet and greet" for all swimmers. He brought his olympic medals for children and adults to wear for photos. Ian wore "Swim for your Heart..feb 14" T-shirt.
Encourage participants to obtain sponsors for their swim. For example, in the United States some swimmer asked friends and family to donate $14 on February 14 (Valentine's Day) in honor of a loved one.
Encourage water aerobic athletes to join in the event.
Water polo and synchronize swimmers are invited to participate, too. Hold an event and send proceeds to your favorite heart charity.
Invite young competitive swim clubs to participate..... focus on heart healthy lifestyle for youth.
Display table at poolside or open water venue: Provide healthy snacks, bottled water, heart healthy brochures, medical attendants to perform free blood pressures, etc., Decorate table with pictures of international flags...many drawings of flags can be printed from the internet and school children can color these flags. Have balloons made with the "Valentine's Day..Swim for your Heart." logo.

Please feel free to download the ValentineSwim.org logo valentineswim.jpeg
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