Twin Cities 2016 Go Red For Women Luncheon led by Beth Ford, of Land O'Lakes, raises $900,000

MINNEAPOLIS, March 3, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 13^th annual Twin Cities Go Red For Women Luncheon was held January 26, 2016 at The Hilton, in Minneapolis, and raised over $900,000 for heart disease and stroke educational programming and research for women.  

Led by corporate chair Beth Ford, of Land O'Lakes, the Luncheon attracted over 700 of the cities' top executives and saw a 30 percent increase in revenue growth from the previous year. Ford is the Group Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Land O'Lakes, holding responsibility for the Purina Animal Nutrition and U.S. Dairy Foods businesses as well as all supply chain, operating, IT and Research & Development functions across the entire Land O'Lakes enterprise. She headed up a team of 22 Twin Cities' executives that secured corporate sponsorships, auction donations and personal donations.

"Beth is truly dedicated to the mission of the American Heart Association," said Barbara Ducharme, executive director of the American Heart Association's Minnesota office. "As a local leader who believes in the importance of the work our organization does, Beth has been an amazing ambassador of our mission, empowering women in our community to live healthier, longer lives."

The American Heart Association founded Go Red For Women 13 years ago to educate women about their risks for heart disease, and how to reduce those risks by living healthier and advocating for themselves with their healthcare provider. Cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 killer of women -- killing more women than the next five causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer. But 80 percent of heart disease is preventable by healthy lifestyle choices

In the decade since Go Red was launched, more than 625,000 women's lives have been saved from heart disease – that's 330 fewer women dying each day

SOURCE American Heart Association