It’s here again! It’s time for the Second Annual Toast To Mom. From now through May 11th, you can join Clos du Bois in celebrating moms everywhere while raising money (our goal is $25,000) for WomenHeart, a fantastic organization dedicated to helping women with heart disease. 

Here are two ways you can help:

1) Go to www.toasttomom.com, upload a photo (or not, you can just use one of the cards they’ve designed if you’d rather) and send virtual toasts to every mom you know (you can send several at a time). For each toast sent, Clos du Bois will donate $1 to WomenHeart.

2) Spread the word either by “grabbing” the badge from the right-hand column of Swirling Notions or from this page here and displaying it on your own blogs and websites.

And, as with last year, you’ll also find heart-healthy recipes, a virtual wine tasting with Erik and a sweepstakes to win a trip out here to Sonoma. They’re even springing for a convertable Mustang.

Why is this important?

Because heart disease is the leading cause of death among American women. Six times more women die of heart disease than of breast cancer each year—267,000 in fact. And WomenHeart is working hard to lower that number.

Why an organization focused only on women?

• Because . . . 8,000,000 American women are currently living with heart disease.
• Because . . .  twice as many women as men who have survived heart attacks will have another one within six years.
• Because . . . 38% of women, compared to 25% of men, will die within one year of their first heart attack.
• Because . . . women display different symptoms than men, which means even though their risks are higher, they’re less likely than men to receive any type of treatment after a heart attack, and are almost twice as likely to die after bypass surgery.

So something is being done right? Well, yes and no. Women make up only 25% of participants in all heart-related research studies.

That’s why organizations like WomenHeart are so crucial. For raising awareness, for raising research dollars, and for acting as a voice and a community for women coping with heart disease.

So go to toasttomom.com, send virtual toasts to every mom you know, tell others, and know you’re getting a heartfelt thanks from me!