UHS once again recognized by the American Heart Association for support of the 2025 Southern Tier Heart Walk

On Thursday, May 29, the American Heart Association hosted local “Heroes of Heart” for a dinner celebration and awards presentation.

The AHA recognized the top 5 contributors to the 2025 Southern Tier Heart Walk in various categories, including fundraising companies, teams, and individuals. UHS is honored to have received the most awards of the evening in recognition of efforts supporting this year’s Heart Walk, including:

• UHS ranked first in the top 5 company fundraisers, raising a total of $48,211.61. The hard work and dedication of everyone across the organization to help us reach our fundraising goal helped us earn this top spot for another year.
• Bridget Metzler, director of Cardiac Services at UHS, and her Heart Walk team came in third place in the category recognizing the top 5 teams, with $10,063.81 raised.
• John Carrigg, president and chief executive officer of UHS, came in second place in the top 5 walker category, with $7,860 raised this year.

Additionally, the UHS planning team received the Heart Hero Award in recognition of their amazing work and leadership supporting Team UHS, which included planning and organizing raffle baskets, apparel, trivia night, the pet contest, and all of UHS’ fundraising efforts. This group’s incredible support led the way for Team UHS to once again see a huge turnout for the Southern Tier Heart Walk on April 27, a testament to the strong spirit of generosity and compassion across our organization.

Over the years, hundreds of community members, including many at Team UHS, have dedicated their time, talent and passion to volunteering for the American Heart Association. 2025 marks the 36th anniversary of the Southern Tier Heart Walk. Over the past three decades of the Heart Walk in the Southern Tier, the generous community has raised more than $5 million for lifesaving research, education, training, and advocacy programs.