DALLAS, Jan. 13, 2025 — Corey Bentley, an American Heart Association local volunteer and marketing professional in the San Francisco Bay Area, is the Association's 2024 National Leaders of Impact™ Winner. In the fall of 2024, more than 300 local leaders in 60 communities volunteered to improve heart health while raising funds to fuel the lifesaving mission of the Association, through its nationwide Leaders of Impact campaign. The head-to-head competition doesn't just focus on raising critical funds. It also supports access to equitable health in local communities given that health inequities related to uncontrolled high blood pressure rates, tobacco use, lack of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), access to healthy food and life expectancy gaps can impact up to 80% of health outcomes[1]. Bently is recognized as the nationwide winner for both raising the most funds and making the greatest community impact nationwide.
"All of the participants in the nationwide Leaders of Impact initiative have demonstrated extraordinary dedication to improving heart health and raising awareness about lifesaving initiatives like CPR education and equitable health for all in their communities," said Marsha E. Jones, American Heart Association volunteer board chair and former executive vice president and chief diversity officer for The PNC Financial Services Group. "Corey Bentley's passion, leadership and advocacy are relentless efforts that help propel us into our second century of lifesaving work, inspiring us through mission impact."
After watching family members suffer from heart disease, Bentley decided to take action by joining the Association's Leaders of Impact initiative in the Bay Area. Bentley raised funds and educated others at a grassroots level in things like Hands-Only CPR by hosting a CPR awareness event at his workplace. The event equipped more than 80 colleagues with the tools and knowledge to live longer and healthier lives. Bently's campaign received remarkable success through strategic outreach efforts, leveraging the power of social media to engage friends and family while also garnering significant support from his workplace and colleagues.
"Participating in the Leaders of Impact campaign was a natural choice for me because heart disease has deeply affected my family," Bentley said. "My mother, a fitness trainer, dedicated her life to helping our family make healthier choices and prioritizing heart health. Following in her footsteps, I wanted to give back and create a lasting impact by advocating for awareness, education and change that can save lives."
