Hula 4 Heart: West Australians to take on hula hoop challenge to raise funds for Perkins Institute research

Kate Kirwin is known for her love for coding and passing those skills to other women to help their careers. But what may not be known about WA’s Young Australian of the Year is that she also has another passion — hula hooping. Ms Kirwin is taking up the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research Hula 4 Heart to raise money to fund vital research to cure heart disease. In Australia, a person dies from heart disease every 12 minutes. Ms Kirwin said she fell in love with hula hooping almost a decade ago. “I was so terrible the first time but I found it really fun, the idea of joyful movement. You’re also working your body really hard at the same time,” she said. Ms Kirwin said the fundraiser was a fun way to boost research for heart disease. “It is such a good program because so many people are affected by heart disease,” she said. “I’m lucky to not have any family affected but that is quite rare so being able to support the event and raise awareness as well as building community and having fun is an incredible win in my books.” This year, the money raised will go towards developing 3D-printed heart valves, new drugs to prevent amputations, and help researchers find new ways to use AI to predict heart attacks before they happen. The inaugural event last year raised more than $35,000 for heart research. Interested hula hoopers will be sent a welcome pack, which includes a wristband, a 31-day tracker, and information about heart research happening at Perkins Institute. When a participant reaches financial targets there are gifts including a smart hula hoop when $100 is raised. Interested hula hoopers can sign up at https://hula.perkins.org.au/ to receive a welcome pack, a fundraising page and access to a Facebook group for fundraisers.