Daily Diary: Keynoting Rhode Island’s Go RED Luncheon for the American Heart Association
I had the honor and the privilege to keynote Rhode Island’s GO RED Luncheon for the American Heart Association last Friday afternoon. 600 people, all in red, sitting there listening to me speak… I NEEDED it to be something that they would (hopefully) remember.
My goal for my keynote was to show how social media can help save lives.
Heart disease is something that is personal to me. My maternal grandfather passed away from heart disease in 1975 at the young age of 46 years old. He left my grandma a widow at 49 and my mother fatherless at 22 years old. It shook her life. It changed her life and all the generations to come forever. I never got to know my grandpa. He never got to see my mother as a mother, or me as a mother. He never even got to name his namesake… his great-grandson, William McClelland.
So yes, heart disease is personal.
I’m always amazed as to the power of social media and I’m passionate about social media and people using it for GOOD. The American Heart Association came out with a brand new campaign this year for their Hands-Only CPR launch that was a little edgy and a different spin than they’re used to doing. They made it a comedy, check it out…
I wanted to show the audience how content like that is perfect for sharing online, and as many eyeballs that see that video… well, they have the potential to save a life. It was very important for to explain the power of a Facebook share, a tweet, a blog post or something online… that was my mission.
The audience seemed to embrace and understand the power of social media, and for the newbies, they seemed to understand the infinite possibilities about the power of social media. It was a wonderful environment to be in and to speak in.
My grandmother, mother, father, sister and husband all watched me speak.
It was the first time they were ever all together watching me.
I wanted to do good for them.
I wanted to be strong for my grandma.
I wanted to make them proud.
And the beautiful thing was being able to bring my own little men into my keynote… my anchors in life who keep my heart healthy every single day.
You were fantastic on Friday, Audrey. I loved your talk! And my Mom was amazed at how many people saw that video from your one tweet. She learned a lot about social media in that short time, and it was nice for her to understand a bit more what I LOVE about blogging and social media. 🙂
It’s so great to see so many people get behind heart disease. It hits home for me as well: my grandfather died during a quadruple bypass, my grandmother also suffered from heart disease, and my father has been on blood pressure medication since he was 30. Also just as important is taking the time out to learn CPR and how to use an AED. A close friend and co-worker of mine coded in the office 2 years ago and thanks to the quick actions of those in our office (where CPR and AED training is mandatory) that individual is still with us. It’s great to see this message across social media–thanks to individuals like yourself Audrey for highlighting its importance.
It’s so great to see so many people get behind heart disease. It hits home for me as well: my grandfather died during a quadruple bypass, my grandmother also suffered from heart disease, and my father has been on blood pressure medication since he was 30. Also just as important is taking the time out to learn CPR and how to use an AED. A close friend and co-worker of mine coded in the office 2 years ago and thanks to the quick actions of those in our office (where CPR and AED training is mandatory) that individual is still with us. It’s great to see this message across social media–thanks to individuals like yourself Audrey for highlighting its importance.