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.

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