At an employees-only Red Couch stop at Atherotech in Birmingham yesterday, the inevitable finally happened: a Harlem Shake broke out.

Correction…an EPIC Harlem Shake broke out.

This was the most successful February the organization has had here in north and central Alabama. There was National Wear Red Day and the Red Couch tour. There were the Birmingham, Huntsville and Shoals Heart Ball galas. There was the West Alabama Heart Walk in Tuscaloosa, the Go Red For Women Legislative Breakfast in Montgomery and the Heart Walk Executive Breakfast in Birmingham. Three Little Red Dress parties took place within a nine-day stretch in the Magic City alone. We hosted the first Go Red Por Tu Corazon event in the Southeastern United States, for goodness sake! And we’re just scratching the surface.

More than 100 people across the Birmingham area shared video messages on The Red Couch during the month of February, including Birmingham’s Mayor William Bell.  

By itself, the Red Couch Campaign consisted of 17 stops throughout the Birmingham metro area, covering 211 miles in 28 days. This volunteer-conceived campaign, exclusive to Birmingham, was built around the idea of creating a conversation about heart disease, the No. 1 killer of all Americans. Passers-by would have a seat on the couch and learn what they needed to know about heart disease. If they wished, they could film a personal heart story, or a message of hope and support. More than 100 did so.

Thousands more in central Alabama were made privy to the mission of the Red Couch Campaign and Go Red For Women. The Couch was the feature of no less than 16 TV and radio segments, as well as a handful of magazine spreads and newspaper features. Traffic at FollowThatCouch.com and the @followthatcouch Twitter was steady throughout the month of February as people tracked the loveseat from location-to-location.

And, of course, hundreds shared the nearly-infinite Go Red-themed blog posts here at the Heart Beat on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. (Alabama Media Group sponsors the Go Red For Women and the My Heart, My Life campaigns in north Alabama, and they make this blog possible!)

The Birmingham Heart Ball wrapped up a very successful night at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center last Saturday. About 900 attended the 26th annual event, making it one of the ten largest Heart Ball galas in country (out of more than 200). The numbers are still being sorted, but it looks like this year’s campaign raised nearly $1 million for life-saving research and education.

Next for the American Heart Association is National Walking Day on April 3, followed by the Go Red For Women luncheon on May 10 and the Birmingham Heart Walk on June 22.

Connect with the American Heart Association by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter!

The park is located at 1701 Valley View Drive in Birmingham, 35209.

The Red Couch makes its final tour stop this week!

Come see us at Vulcan Park on February 28 and celebrate the final day of American Heart Month! We’ll be on-site underneath the world’s largest cast-iron statue from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Come have a seat on The Red Couch tonight at the Pete Hanna Center.

The Bulldogs will be wearing special red jerseys as they host UNC-Greensboro tonight at 7 p.m., inside the Pete Hanna Center. Fans are also encouraged to wear red.

Red seems to be the Bulldogs’ lucky color. Last season, Samford men’s hoops upset Elon during a Red Out, winning 87-78. Later in the year, the Samford baseball team upset Florida during another Red Out game, defeating the then-No. 3 Gators by a score of 12-7.

For more information on upcoming athletic events at Samford University, visit SamfordSports.com.

The American Heart Association’s Red Couch will be at Samford University for the next two days, raising awareness of heart disease (the nation’s No. 1 killer) and giving students, faculty and staff an opportunity to share stories of how they or someone they know has been affected by heart issues.

Catch the Couch today at the Samford University cafeteria inside the Ralph W. Beeson Student Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Tomorrow, the Samford men’s basketball team is hosting a “Red Out” for the game against UNC-Greensboro. The Red Couch will be on-site from 6 p.m. through the middle of the second half. Medical staff from St. Vincent’s Health System will also be at the event, conducting free blood pressure screenings.

More than 250 people showed up for UAB’s Heart Month celebration, which featured free blood pressure and weight screenings, a backpack giveaway and, of course, the American Heart Association’s famed Red Couch. 

Twenty-one people shared stories or messages of support on camera while sitting on The Red Couch, a new record for most stories at a single event. Those videos will be uploaded to our special YouTube playlist over the coming days.

The Red Couch is back on the road tomorrow for a stop at the Samford University Cafeteria. The AHA will be setting up and filming stories between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Keep it here at FollowThatCouch.com for more info!

The Red Couch will be at UAB Hospital’s North Pavilion on Thursday, Feb. 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The building is on the corner of 6th Avenue and 18th Street South.

UAB will be celebrating American Heart Month and promoting the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7.

Join us and have a seat on The Red Couch!

Bruce Inverso, of the American Heart Association, with IBERIABANK’s Debbie Roberson.

The bank has partnered with the American Heart Association locally to help raise awareness and funding for the fight against heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of all Americans. To highlight the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign, the eight Birmingham-area branches of IBERIABANK have entered into a competition spotlighting fashionable mannequins and little red hearts.

Each branch is “Going Red” by dressing and decorating a mannequin donated by Macy’s (a national sponsor of the Go Red For Women campaign). In addition, the branches have also been selling red hearts for $1, with all proceeds going to the American Heart Association. The branches are competing for the titles of most money raised and most fashionable mannequin.

“So far, our branches have raised around $1,200 through the $1 donations,” said Debbie Roberson, the manager for the Woodcrest branch. “Of course, our branch is hoping to win with the prettiest mannequin and most funds raised! The customers have been really interested in it and we’re excited to be a part of it.”

The Red Couch was on-site between 2 and 3 p.m., giving IBERIABANK employees an opportunity to learn more about their risks for developing heart disease, as well as an opportunity to share personal stories of how heart disease has affected them. The campaign has four more stops between now and the end of the month of February. Visit FollowThatCouch.com for the complete tour schedule.

The Red Couch campaign’s goal is to encourage those impacted by cardiovascular diseases to share their stories and help raise awareness of the nation’s No. 1 health threat. Staff and volunteers from the American Heart Association will be on-hand to film those who wish to share their stories on camera, and a special YouTube channel has been set up to host those stories. At each Red Couch appearance, information on how to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases will be distributed.

For more on these appearances, log on to followthatcouch.com or follow our Twitter feed, @followthatcouch.