TEMPE, Ariz. – The Sun Devil women’s basketball program today announced the launch of ‘Keep The Beat,’ an awareness campaign designed to help people of all ages have a better understanding of what it means to live a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Over the next 100 days, the Sun Devil women’s basketball program will be partnering with several organizations including the American Heart Association and the Arizona chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses in an effort to educate the Valley population about prevention of cardiovascular disease, which according to the American Heart Association accounts for 17.3 million deaths per year – and is expected to grow to more than 23.6 million by 2030.
The campaign will culminate with the Sun Devil women’s basketball team’s 2015-16 season opener against the University of Kentucky on Sunday, November 15 at Wells Fargo Arena. The game’s theme will be focused on elements of the Keep the Beat program as fans will be able to get important information and participate in screenings that will help them become more aware of what they can do to #keepthebeat.
“One of the hallmarks of our program has been to use our platform to champion for other causes,” said ASU head women’s basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne. “Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death. From a personal standpoint I have become all too familiar with heart ailments over the years as loved ones – both in and outside of my family – have had their lives affected by this. We feel an obligation to reach out to the community any way that we can. What better way to do this than helping all those in our community look out for that single thing that is most important to all of us and our loved ones – our health.”
In the interim between now and the November 15 event, the Sun Devil women’s basketball team will be working with the aforementioned organizations, other teams in Sun Devil Athletics and numerous groups and leaders in the community to roll out messages about heart-health awareness through social media and speaking engagements around the Valley.
“We are grateful that the ASU women's basketball program is dedicated to educating the community on heart health,” said Kathy Young, Vice President of American Heart Association. “This is the first generation of youth that are estimated to have a shorter lifespan than their parents and it’s going to take great partners like ASU to help us turn that around.”
More details surrounding the signature event of the Keep the Beat campaign – ASU’s season opener vs. Kentucky on November 15 – will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
For individuals or organizations interested in participating in the Keep the Beat event on November 15, please email Dan Kirk with Sun Devil Athletics at drkirk1@asu.edu.
Season tickets for the Sun Devil women’s basketball team’s 2015-16 campaign are on sale now and can be purchased for as low as $49. For more information or to purchase, click here or call 480-965-5812.