The AHA funds some of the best and most critical cardiovascular and stroke research in the country, as well as public education and community programs such as establishing 911 access through cell phones, CPR trainings in local schools & businesses, placement of Automated External Defibrillators in the San Francisco airport and other city buildings, fitness and health education for school children and the elderly, and much more.  All of these factors combined, has helped the AHA achieve its goal of a 25% reduction in death rate from coronary heart disease since 1999.   

 One crucial area of focus for the American Heart Association, and an issue that is very important to me, is children’s health and the childhood obesity epidemic.  It is imperative that we care for our future generations, especially those children who do not have access to nutritious food and safe parks in which to play.

 The number of obese and overweight children has now climbed to 30 percent in 30 states, a troubling trend that could signal decades of weight-related health problems such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease as these children become adults. And, overall, two-thirds of American adults are now obese or overweight. Those are just some of the worrisome findings in an annual report on obesity in America, released by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

I am proud to have a hand in alleviating the childhood obesity epidemic and all cardiovascular diseases and hope you will join me in this endeavor.