It makes

sense for fitness centers and gyms to support the

American Heart Association. Without healthy hearts, these

places of exercise would have no business. That is why

the donation from the Gold's Gyms of Atlanta alliance,

Georgia Fitness Legends, Inc. (GFL) was such a nice

gesture.

Heart

disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in the

United States. Cardiovascular disease accounts for more

than 40 percent of all deaths in America. it kills nearly

twice as many people as all forms of cancer and forty

times as many as AIDS. According to current estimates,

over 58 million Americans have one or more types of

cardiovascular disease.

Because the

problem is so widespread, (GFL) felt they had to do

something. The group of 12 independent Gold's Gyms in the

Atlanta area held numerous fundraisers over the past year

to benefit the American Heart Association. J.D. Holmes,

owner of two Gold's Gyms in Fayette County, spearheaded

the fundraising efforts on the Southside.

Holmes,

also a member of the American Heart Association, got

other gyms in the GFL involved and led the fundraising

efforts in the county for the Heart Walk. The gyms also

got involved with fundraising, holding yard sales, car

washes, or donating the proceeds from body fat and blood

pressure checks. The first annual Heart of Gold golf

tournament was held in October at White Water Country

Club. The Fayette County Gold's Gyms donated profits from

t-shirt sales.

When all

was totaled up, the group donated $8,095 to the American

Heart Association. The American Heart Association is the

nation's largest non-governmental investor in heart

research. The AHA spends a larger percentage of its

budget on research than any other major health

organization, regardless of its focus.