(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – The new Red Dress 5K will be Saturday, Oct. 7, in addition to the annual Johnson County Heart Walk.

Locally sponsored by Arwood’s Furniture and Mattress, the event will begin at 7:30 a.m. after registration and check-in at 7 a.m. at the front lawn on the south side of the Western Missouri Medical Center.

The Red Dress 5K and Heart Walk are all-ages events held to raise awareness of heart disease and strokes.

The corporate events director of the Warrensburg, Sedalia and St. Joseph areas for the American Heart Association, Amanda Avent, said the event is open to anyone who wants to participate whether they are wearing their favorite red dress, a tutu or regular clothes.

“By doing events like this, we aim to reduce death and increase awareness. People are more likely to seek treatment if they’re aware,” Avent said.

Avent said one of the biggest supporters of the event is the University of Central Missouri’s Alpha Phi sorority.

“I truly couldn’t do the event without them,” Avent said.

Another long-time supporter of the American Heart Association’s efforts in Johnson County is Jevon Hodkins. Hodkins said she has been volunteering with the American Heart Association for about 18 years.

“In the last 5 years, I’ve been on the Survivor Committee and we try to get their stories and get them together to talk about their experiences,” Hodkins said.

Hodkins said it’s important to educate and inform people on the symptoms and causes of heart disease during events like the Red Dress 5K and the Heart Walk.

“We try to have educational booths that will help you. We want to get people informed on how to take precautions,” Hodkins said. “There are a lot of people that don’t realize heart attacks are the number one killers.”

Other contributors to the cause are Western Missouri Medical Center, Carlyle Van Lines, SERC Physical Therapy and many more.

“The people that are involved are people that care about the health of Johnson County,” Avent said.

Registration is $35 per person. Individuals who register as Red Dress runners will also be registered to participate in the Heart Walk that begins at 8 a.m.

“The event is a great, fun event, and I’m super stoked about it,” Avent said.