Nationwide (BlackNews.com) – Shirley Alabre is Miss Black Florida USA 2014, and her platform is heart disease awareness and promoting literacy in children. As Miss Black Florida USA, Shirley promotes and supports the “Heart Truth” campaign through different charitable events, raising awareness on this life threatening disease and how it affects women.
Almost half of women remain unaware that heart disease is their leading cause of death and most fail to make the connection between its risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and their personal risk of developing heart disease.
The “Heart Truth” campaign created and introduced the Red Dress℠ as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 to deliver an urgent wake-up call to American women – heart disease is largely preventable. The Red Dress® reminds women of the need to protect their heart health, and inspires them to take action. On National Wear Red Day, February 7 Americans nationwide will wear a red dress, red shirt, or red tie to show support for women and heart disease awareness.
Alabre graduated from Florida Atlantic University with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and is currently pursuing her M.A. Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She now teaches primary education and hopes to one day open her own state of the art learning center.
She is also an active member of Leaders Recognizing Leaders Inc., which is a nonprofit organization with a mission to teach young people ages 15-25 how to be leaders and young diplomats, reshaping their mindset for community service, educational development and global communication in local, national and international communities.
For more information about the “Heart Truth” campaign, visit www.hearttruth.gov or call the NHLBI Health Information Center at 301-592-8573.
