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Hitting the Court for Heart Health


Hoops for Heart VFD Fund Established with the
Monroe County Community Foundation

Lewisville, OH – The importance of heart health to overall well-being is often in the news today, but too frequently it takes unexpected tragedy to drive that importance home. This is something that Casey Lohrey knows all too well.

Following the unexpected passing of her uncle, Lewisville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Greg Baker, and her brother-in-law, Bryn Lohrey of the Woodsfield Fire Department, from cardiac events, Ms. Lohrey decided she needed to do something. This call to action led her and a group of family and friends to create Hoops for Heart VFD, a basketball tournament that provides vital health screenings and heart health awareness to Monroe County citizens for little to no cost.

Noting the important community service it provides to Monroe County and surrounding residents, Hoops for Heart VFD recently joined the Monroe County Community Foundation at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) with a fund to ensure this important community health service exists for years to come.

Hoops for Heart VFD centers around a basketball tournament where teams from local volunteer fire departments in Monroe, Belmont, Noble, and Washington counties face off. While the participating fire departments compete for bragging rights, donations from local businesses, t-shirt sales, and country store sales underwrite the event and the health services available to community members. More important to Hoops for Heart VFD than bragging rights on the court are the health screenings provided at the event for community members at little to no cost.

“Firemen are role models for our community,” said Ms. Lohrey. “We look to them as an example, which is why we have always valued their strong support for Hoops for Heart VFD. Now with the Hoops for Heart VFD Fund with the Monroe County Community Foundation at FAO, we have an even greater opportunity to support our citizens’ heart health while rallying behind our community heroes on the court.”

The establishment of the Hoops for Heart VFD Fund with the Monroe County Community Foundation’s Family of Funds at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio will support the charitable program and activities of Hoops for Heart VFD and their work to provide health screenings to promote heart health. The health screenings include 29 tests for myriad health indicators including cholesterol, blood count, triglycerides, thyroid activity, and many others. In addition to providing health screenings for local residents at little to no cost, funds raised will be directed to local fire departments.

“We are so enthusiastic about the message the Monroe County Community Foundation can share with our community thanks to our new partnership with the Hoops for Heart VFD Fund,” said Nikki Baker-Lude, a committee member with the Monroe County Community Foundation and the daughter of the late Chief Greg Baker. “We have the tremendous opportunity through the Hoops for Heart VFD Fund to educate Monroe County citizens of all ages about heart health while getting important health screenings to our neighbors.”

The Monroe County Community Foundation was created so that the Monroe County community would have a place to come together and grow a powerful asset for the county and its residents for many future generations. In partnership with the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, the Monroe County Community Foundation is designed to grow resources that can be used to support current and future needs and develop new opportunities.

The Monroe County Community Foundation partners with the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio to create opportunities in Monroe County communities. FAO’s mission is to create opportunities for Appalachian Ohio’s citizens and communities by inspiring and supporting philanthropy. A central part of this work is to support communities across areas essential to community and regional quality of life, like health screenings. Called the Pillars of Prosperity, these areas include arts and culture, community and economic development, education, environmental stewardship, and health and human services, giving the chance to invest in what’s closest to our hearts like Casey and Nikki have.

Gifts to the Fund are tax deductible and can be made in many ways, including cash, bequests, and life insurance. To mail your donation, please designate the Hoops for Heart VFD Fund and mail to the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, PO Box 456, Nelsonville, OH 45764. Gifts can also be made online at www.AppalachianOhio.org by selecting the Hoops for Heart VFD Fund when donating.

To learn more about the Monroe County Community Foundation’s Family of Funds and how FAO supports local philanthropy, please visit www.AppalachianOhio.org or call 740.753.1111.

About the Monroe County Community Foundation

The Monroe County Community Foundation was created so that the Monroe County community would have a place to come together and grow a powerful asset for the county and its residents for many future generations. The Monroe County Community Foundation is a local foundation, created in partnership with the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, and is designed to grow resources that can be used to support current and future needs and develop new opportunities.

About the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio

The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) is a regional community foundation serving the 32 counties of Appalachian Ohio. A 501(c)(3) public charity, the Foundation creates opportunities for Appalachian Ohio’s citizens and communities by inspiring and supporting philanthropy. For more information about FAO, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org.

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