Last week, more than $30,000 was raised at the UK Active Women's Health Initiative Celebration & Fundraiser at the home of Dr. Mary Lloyd Ireland.

The goals of the event were:

• To celebrate the accomplishments of the Active Women’s Health Initiative.
• Raise funds to support the research and outreach programming to empower girls and women to lead healthy lifestyles.
• To advance girls’ and women’s physical activity and health through research and outreach.

The event was hosted at the home of Dr. Mary Lloyd Ireland by the UK Active Women’s Health Initiative and the College of Health Sciences.

Ireland welcomed her guests with a personal message about why she is committed to sustaining the Active Women’s Health Initiative.

“I was able to compete in swimming at the collegiate level," she said. "The structure of swimming made me a better student and enabled me to know I could compete in any specialty in medicine, including orthopedics, where even now there are only 7 percent females and 14 percent in residency. I have come to know that I have grit and I am able to persevere and persist and stick to the task. I want to give this back to our youth in the commonwealth of Kentucky by supporting this initiative wholeheartedly. I hope you will join me in support.”

Organizers said they are also proud to announce that 100 percent of their board members donated prior to the event.

“I want to support this initiative because of my mother that passed away eight years ago from cancer," said Kelly Cecil, Chair of the Active Women’s Health Initiative Board of Directors. "If she could have had access to the resources AWHI is trying to provide to women and girls then perhaps she could have learned that smoking and a general unhealthy lifestyle can have a very negative  impact on your health. I know that the Active Women’s Health Initiative will change the course of many lives going forward and perhaps educate women like my mother — help them adopt a much healthier lifestyle and live a long and active life.”

Still interested in donating? Visit this link. 

Check out our Video Gallery from the event here.