Boston Community Heart Walk.
One morning. One community. A shared commitment to cardiometabolic health equity in Boston neighborhoods.
Stronger Together: A Decade of Heart, A Future of Health.
Saturday, October 3, 2026 · Ryan Park, Mattapan (Boston, MA). Goal: 500+ walkers.
Every walk has expanded what's possible.
- 4
- Years walking
- 670+
- Total walkers
- $18K+
- Funds raised
- 1,100+
- Screenings (3-yr)
Every walk, every year.
Each year tells a chapter of our community's heart health story.
2025
Saturday, October 11, 2025
Ryan Park, Mattapan
Champions Rose: Together in Strength, Joy & Health
Over 350 community members walked together at Ryan Park, raising $12,000 and delivering 50+ free screenings. A landmark year that proved community-led heart health works.
- 350+
- Walkers
- 50+
- Free screenings
- $12K
- Raised
2024
Fall 2024
Mattapan · Dorchester · East Boston
Walking Forward: Community in Motion
A growing year of momentum. The walk expanded its reach, deepening partnerships across Mattapan, Dorchester, and East Boston as our screening footprint scaled to 14 active sites.
- 14
- Partner sites
- 740
- Screenings (year)
2023
Fall 2023
Greater Boston
Heart of the Community
The walk that planted the flag. Neighbors came together to launch what would become an annual tradition of community-led heart health in Boston.
- 7
- Partner sites
- 322
- Screenings (year)
HGF at the AHA Boston Heart Walk.
Beyond our own annual walk, members of Heart of a Giant Foundation have shown up at the American Heart Association Boston Heart Walk. The press coverage below is also archived on the Press & Media page and in the writing archive.
2018 Heart Walk
American Heart Association
Thousands Walk for Heart Health in Boston
Bouba led the first Heart of a Giant team at the Boston Heart Walk, gathering at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River while living with his HeartMate 3 LVAD. It was the first public expression of HGF as a community presence: patients, families, and allies walking together for heart health.
easternstates.heart.org/thousands-walk-for-heart-health-in-boston/ ↗2019 Heart Walk
American Heart Association
Two Boston Heart Patients Bond Over Shared Struggle
At the 2019 Boston Heart Walk, Bouba met 17-year-old Julius Johnson. Both were living with the HeartMate 3 LVAD. Their conversation, two strangers discovering a shared device, a shared wait, and a shared determination, became one of the most meaningful stories to come out of the event.
easternstates.heart.org/two-boston-heart-patients-bond-over-shared-struggle/ ↗2019 Heart Walk
The Boston Herald
Two Boston heart patients bond over shared struggle
The Boston Herald reported on the bond between Bouba and Julius Johnson, two Boston heart patients living with the same mechanical heart pump who found each other at the Heart Walk. The story captures what community looks like when patients are no longer isolated in their experience.
www.bostonherald.com/2019/09/14/two-boston-heart-patients-bond-over-shared-struggle/ ↗Note, Article is behind a paywall.
“Two patients, one device, one moment of recognition. That is what community can do.”
Bouba Diemé and Julius Johnson met at the 2019 Boston Heart Walk. Both were living with the HeartMate 3 LVAD. Their conversation became a reminder that the work of heart health is not only clinical, it is also relational, public, and visible.
Bring your family, your team, your neighbors.
The next chapter starts with you at the starting line. Saturday, October 3, 2026 at Ryan Park, Mattapan. Email us to register a team, sponsor the event, or request a partner packet.