The results of this year’s American Heart Association (AHA) Heart Walk are in: Graycor’s team raised more than $7,000 that will help AHA in its devotion to save people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world.

The two-hour walk, which took place on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Porter County’s Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve in Chesterton, Indiana, included Graycor’s team as well as many companies from the Northwest Indiana community.

Chet Nay, project accountant administrator for Graycor Industrial, served as team captain. The charity is especially important to Chet and his family, specifically, his son Ethan (pictured) who was born with a ventricular septal defect (VSD), as well as mild pulmonary stenosis and bicuspid valve heart disorders. At just 9 months old, Ethan underwent open heart surgery to correct the VSD and stenosis. When fully grown, he may undergo surgery once more to replace the defective valve.
Dan Kilgore and Ted Vrehas, both vice presidents with Graycor Industrial, served as team champions. “Congratulations to our Graycor team who got out there and participated,” said Dan. “We also received a great response from employees, vendors and others who couldn’t attend, but generously donated,” he added.

Chet would like to thank the Graycor employees who participated and donated. “My wife and I can’t express enough how much this cause and Graycor’s support to AHA mean to us. “Cassie and I support AHA both privately and with Graycor,” he added.
Dallas-based AHA is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The association teams with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. To learn more or to get involved, visit heart.org.