The American Heart Association recently recognized Weis Markets with a Distinguished Achievement Award for its significant contributions to the success of the Association's Eastern States region.

According to Natalie Wech, co-chair of the American Heart Association's southcentral Pennsylvania board of directors, Weis has raised and committed more than $1.5 million since its inaugural Life Is Why consumer campaign, which launched in February 2019. In 2021, during American Heart Month, February, store teams across the company's 197 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia and Virginia raised $575,000 for the Life Is Why consumer campaign.

Additionally, Weis Markets became the first sponsor of the new Live Fierce Capital Region community impact campaign. This yearlong campaign helped the American Heart Association address community health priorities, including providing CPR in Schools training kits to several school districts throughout central Pennsylvania, supplying a local Federally Qualified Health Center with blood pressure self-monitoring tools to help patients most at risk of uncontrolled high blood pressure to manage their blood pressure at home. The campaign also equipped Harrisburg School District with new filtered water bottle filling stations, which will provide students with access to clean drinking water in an effort to encourage them to hydrate with water instead of sodas and other sugary drinks.

Local Weis Markets employees who have served as volunteer leaders for the American Heart Association over the past year include Ron Bonacci, vice president of advertising and marketing, southcentral Pennsylvania board of directors member and 2021 Capital Region Heart Ball chair; Jaime Hynoski, community relations and event management specialist, 2021 Capital Region Heart Walk co-chair; Emily Bumgarner, registered dietician, 2021 Capital Region Heart Walk co-chair; Wendy Oliver, regional vice president of operations, 2022 Capital Region Go Red for Women co-chair; and Rick Seipp, vice president of pharmacy, 2022 Capital Region Go Red for Women co-chair.

The funds raised by supporters like Weis Markets fund the mission of the American Heart Association to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives and the association's 2024 Health Equity Impact Goal to reduce barriers to health care access and quality. This support allows the American Heart Association to fund investments in cardiovascular research, seek to improve patient outcomes, advocate for policies that promote community health and educate people about healthy living.

To learn more about Life Is Why campaign supporters, including Weis Markets, visit http://www.heart.org/lifeiswhywegive. More information about the American Heart Association is available at http://www.heart.org and by following the organization on Facebook and Twitter.