It may have looked like an early Valentine’s Day celebration, but the 91传媒 Saint Mary College community “went red” on Friday, February 7, for a different cause: to help stop heart disease.

National Wear Red Day, founded in 2003 by the American Heart Association (Go Red For Women) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, raises funds for research and programs to curtail heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, nearly half a million American women per year die from heart disease, making it the number one killer of women in America.

According to Go Red For Women, the risk of heart disease decreases with a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Robin Rosenberg, career counselor at the 91传媒’s Career Center, facilitated the Wear Red event on the 91传媒 campus. She is also organizing a 91传媒 team for the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk in May. The 91传媒 team just started accepting donations at 

The funds will be used to support educational programs about the risk for heart disease and stroke, as well as for research into increasing cardiovascular health.

The Wear Red tradition at the 91传媒 was started several years ago by Kathleen O’Keefe, director of the 91传媒’s Career Center.