JANESVILLE — Blain’s Farm & Fleet President and CEO Jane Blain Gilbertson was honored prior to Sunday’s American Heart Association Bert Blain Memorial Heart Walk, in recognition of her approaching retirement.
Blain Gilbertson’s retirement was announced earlier this summer, and will be effective in September.
Tracy Earll, regional executive director for the American Heart Association, offered remarks on behalf of the organization and the event, thanking Blain Gilbertson for her involvement.
“The American Heart Association would also like to congratulate Jane on her retirement, but also thank her so much for everything she has brought to the organization. It is important for you guys to know that there is no better champion in the state of Wisconsin than Blain’s, and we want to make sure that this community knows how important they are and how important Jane is,” Earll said, giving her a gift box.
Prior to the thanks and the gift, Blain Gilbertson shared the story of her father, Bert. One of only two American Heart Association Heart Walks in the nation named in the memory of an individual, the event was named after Bert Blain, one of the co-founders of Blain’s Farm & Fleet in Janesville.
The American Heart Association asked Blain Gilbertson to chair a Heart Walk, then unnamed, and Blain Gilbertson agreed. She asked her father, Bert, to chair it with her. She said the American Heart Association and heart research were topics Blain cared deeply for and had been supporting. He had had minor heart attacks, she said.
Blain Gilbertson and her father were in Chippewa Falls, opening a Farm & Fleet location, when he suffered a massive heart attack and died.
Ten days later, Blain Gilbertson walked in the Heart Walk. Shortly after that, the American Heart Association approached the family saying they wanted to name the walk after Blain, which Blain Gilbertson said was “very touching.”
“It’s important the work the heart association is doing and it’s important that you’re here, not only supporting by being here and being out for a lovely walk in the morning, but also for the money that you raised. The funds that you raised allow us to continue to do the research that the heart association does by doing amazing research,” Blain Gilbertson said.
Blain Gilbertson said her husband, Mick, has since had open heart surgery. As he was being diagnosed, they watched in great appreciation as a doctor identified exactly what needed to be done.
“He had a very successful surgery where they did three relatively new procedures. We talked to our family at the time and said, ‘Thank God that this research has been done.’ Just a few years before this they would not have been able to save him,” she said. Today “he’s in amazing health and riding his bike and doing all the things that he wants to do.”
Her mother also passed away from a stroke at 64, Blain Gilbertson shared.
Walkers had their personal stories as well.
Cheryl Peterson, who works for SHINE Technologies in Janesville, was a walker this year. Shine was a sponsor. Peterson has been walking in the event for more than 20 years.
“I think we all know someone in our lives who’s had heart disease or a stroke,” Peterson said.
Peterson’s brother had a heart attack five years ago, but survived. Peterson and her family did not know he had a heart condition.
“Even before that I was involved in it because this is just a really good community I’m really glad to be a part of, and at SHINE this really aligns with what we do, detecting heart disease and cancer in the body,” Peterson said.
“I think this just brings a lot of awareness to a thing that can be corrected with the right messaging, learning more about healthy exercise (and) healthy eating,” Peterson said.
In all on Sunday, 220 people who signed up in advance for the walk, in addition to an estimated 30 people who showed up on the day of the event and participated.
At the event, educational activities included hands-only CPR.
Sunday’s walk started at the Town Square Pavilion in downtown Janesville and proceeded to South River Street and the Ice Age Trail, to the Racine Street bridge and to South Main Street.
From there, the roughly three-mile route took some participants around the river again via the Court Street bridge. Others crossed a finish line at the Blain Gilbertson Family Heritage Bridge where they were greeted by members of the Janesville Youth Baseball Softball Association’s 10U baseball team.
People can still donate money at rockcountyheartwalk.org. As of around 2 p.m. Sunday, about $97,600 had been raised out of a goal of $122,000.
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