WHAT: The American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere, and more than 3,000 community members will gather for the NEW Denver Heart Walk™ experience - a participant-centered event focused on CPR readiness, survivor stories and community impact. Media can capture activity in the new Be Extraordinary area as participants practice Hands-Only CPR and commit to simple heart-healthy steps, followed by an opening ceremony featuring local survivors before the walk begins.
Expect energetic scenes with families, survivors and company teams throughout the venue, along the route and at the finish. WHO: American Heart Association volunteers and supporters, including local heart and stroke survivors.
WHEN: Saturday, June 20, 2026 7:30 a.m. - Pre-walk festivities and opportunity to visit the NEW Be Extraordinary area, 8:45 a.m.
- Walk begins MORE: According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 people suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital every year, and nearly 90% don't survive. But immediate bystander CPR can make the difference - doubling or even tripling someone's chance of survival.
The American Heart Association (AHA) will host the Denver Heart Walk on Saturday, June 20, 2026.
The reconfigured event emphasizes participant engagement with a focus on improving community readiness to respond to out‑of‑hospital cardiac arrest.
Organizers describe the gathering as centered on hands‑on CPR practice, survivor narratives, and community impact, with an on‑site “Be Extraordinary” area intended for active skills demonstration and pledges to heart‑healthy behaviors.
The Be Extraordinary area is presented as the focal point for media and participant interaction, where attendees can practice Hands‑Only CPR and register commitments to simple preventative steps.
The event expects more than 3,000 community members and will involve AHA volunteers, supporters, and local heart and stroke survivors.
Registration is available at denverheartwalk.org, where participants may also create fundraising pages and undertake the Lifesaver Challenge.
The release cites AHA data on the burden of out‑of‑hospital cardiac arrest in the United States, noting annual occurrences of more than 350,000 events and a reported survival rate under 10% for those arrests.
The AHA emphasizes that immediate bystander CPR can substantially increase survival odds, described as doubling to tripling the chance of survival.
The Heart Walk is positioned as the AHA’s largest community‑facing initiative.
Through fundraising, education, and partnerships with corporations, the program targets expanded access to CPR training, strengthened bystander preparedness, increased research funding, and efforts toward equitable cardiovascular health.
The Lifesaver Challenge is highlighted as a means to teach Hands‑Only CPR in a short format (90 seconds).
The source does not provide empirical evaluation data from prior Heart Walks (for example, measures of bystander CPR uptake following participation), nor does it supply detailed demographic breakdowns of participants, cost or fundraising targets for this specific event, or measurable outcomes linked to the Denver event’s interventions.
Clinicians, community organizations, and media are invited to observe the Be Extraordinary area and opening ceremony.
Individuals may register and engage with the Lifesaver Challenge via the event website.