Go Red for Women benefit to be held Feb. 20

Organizers of the 2010 Go Red for Women benefit hope to promote awareness and raise funds to battle heart disease at the Feb. 20 event at the Sedalia Country Club.

The luncheon will feature informational booths, door prizes, an auction and a fashion show to help educate women about heart health and raise funds for cardiovascular disease research.

Sally Lockett is a volunteer for the heart association as well as the owner of Lockett’s Fig Leaf Boutique, which has sponsored the benefit for the past six years.  She said with significant sponsorships from Starline Brass and other local businesses, most of the money raised from this year’s ticket sales will go directly toward American Heart Association research.

New to this year’s event is the “Aprons with Heart” auction. Lockett said the unique aprons were made by local people, and all of the proceeds generated from the auction will support the heart association’s funding for women’s heart research in Missouri hospitals.

“Some of the aprons will be whimsical and fun, and there are some for children too, that will be modeled during the fashion show,” Lockett said. “They will be auctioned off starting at $25 each, and it’s fun because they’ve all been made by local folks.”

The cardiac rehab team from Bothwell Regional Health Center will conduct free blood-pressure screenings and distribute information on cardiovascular diseases, which are the top cause of death for women in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. Other organizations also will provide exercise and dietary tips for improving heart health throughout the day.

Attendees also will have the opportunity to craft memorial hearts for loved ones who have died from cardiovascular diseases. Lockett said those hearts will be exhibited on a “Memory Wall,” which is on display each year at the Go Red for Women benefit.

“It’s a small part of the luncheon, but it’s a very meaningful part. It reminds us why we’re there,” Lockett said.

The benefit starts at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Sedalia Country Club. Tickets for the event cost $20 and are available at Lockett’s Fig Leaf Boutique in the State Fair Shopping Center and other businesses around town through the end of this week.

“The goal of the event is to heighten awareness,” Lockett said. “Women’s heart attack symptoms are different, and the medical community is just starting to catch up, so we need to let women know these things.”