On Saturday, April 16, The Heart Project successfully hosted its first event to raise awareness of heart disease as the number one killer of women. Through sales of raffle tickets, donated jewelry from across the country and t-shirts, over $2000 was raised for the American Heart Association. The weather could not have been better – the sun was out, and so were Oberlin residents.

There were many people who made a point to attend and, thanks to the beautiful weather, many wandered by and stayed to sort through the hundreds of pieces of jewelry for sale. Most found a unique new treasure amongst the diverse collection of accessories. Free red dress pins (awareness pins from the American Heart Assocation’s “Go Red for Women” program) were given to anyone who wanted one and information was available on heart health.

The Heart Project was created by Brea Weil-Hearon, a December graduate of Oberlin’s double degree program and the Bonner Scholars Program. The Bonner Scholars Program is sponsored by the Bonner Foundation in Princeton, NJ and gives its members a stipend in exchange for performing cummunity service.

With help from Donna Russell, acting director of the Bonner Scholars Program at Oberlin, The Heart Project grew from a small and short-term idea into a much larger and potentially long-term venture.

The event was planned entirely by Weil-Hearon and a group of Bonner Scholars with generous help from numerous community members and businesses including Mary at Herrick’s Jewelry, Ruth at Bead Paradise and Ian and Connie at the Oberlin City Recreation Department.