Back to Alumni Connection Articles
Associates participate in American Heart Association’s Start! Heart Walk
 |
|
Ross Perot, Jr., chairman of the board, and Peter Altabef participated in the opening ceremonies along with Trevor Fetter and Avery Johnson, “Honorary Chairman of the Start! Heart Walk” and head coach of the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team.
“This was a great event and a very successful project for Perot Systems on many levels. We came together for a good cause, side by side with Tenet, one of our largest clients, and we all won and grew in the process,” said Altabef.
Associates had a great time coming together with their colleagues, family, friends and pets for a fun-filled day. In addition to the walk itself, the Plaza was packed with activities for everyone ranging from a kids’ area with cowboys and clowns, giveaway booths, CPR lessons, blood pressure screenings and much more. Perot Systems hosted a tent which featured breakfast for our associates and their families and laptops for walkers to write tributes to loved ones affected by heart disease. The tributes were prominently displayed on the large media boards throughout the Plaza.
|
“We had a lot of fun. My husband and I brought our two grandchildren, both three years old, who really enjoyed themselves. My grandson loved visiting the Dallas Fire Department’s tent and my granddaughter was fascinated by the all the pets that were “walking” too! She spotted everything from Chihuahuas to Newfoundlands to miniature horses,” said Ginny Summer, Facilities tech. “I especially appreciated how easy it was to ride the DART public transportation trains to Victory Plaza. We were able to get there and back with no trouble at all.”
Delores Garbarini, HRIS strategy manager, commented, “I had so much fun and really enjoyed being able to socialize with colleagues and their families in such a great setting. Victory Plaza was a fabulous location and I was impressed with how well organized the event was. I was particularly struck by the tributes posted on the media boards – they were incredibly heart-felt and moving.”
|
The Heart Walk was the culmination of months of friendly competition among associates. To encourage participation, 10 internal Perot Systems teams, with leaders as the captains, were created and competed for the highest participation rate. The teams were: Team Anderson, Team Barnes, Team Besse, Team Galea, Team Goodspeed, Team Mapes, Team Motes, Team Richey, Team Swearingen and Team Williams. As the date of the walk got closer, the competition turned fierce with teams rallying together and encouraging their team members to take part. After the final tally, Team Anderson won the competition with 67% of team members participating in the walk. As a reward they were treated to a team breakfast and were entered into a lottery for suite tickets to an upcoming Mavericks basketball game.
“The Heart Walk was a wonderful opportunity to gather with our associates, and their families and friends, to support a great cause and give back to our community,” said Darcy Anderson, chief people officer. “Our associates continue to amaze me with their generosity, enthusiasm and dedication to helping others. The rest of Dallas got to see the Perot Systems’ spirit at work and I could not be more proud of our performance.”
|