Former Troy student named youngest member of Pike County Heart Board

After her father died of heart failure, Beth Nonnenmann wanted to contribute to related causes.

Nonnenmann, a former Troy University nursing major from Troy, said that while she was eager to do something, this opportunity to help came as a surprise.

“I was nominated by Elizabeth Mitchell,” Nonnenmann said. “She happened to see a post I put on Facebook about my dad.”

As of November, Nonnenmann is now the youngest board member ever of the Pike County Heart Board, affiliated with the American Heart Association.

“We raise awareness and money for the national American Heart Association,” she said of the Pike County Heart Board’s contribution to activism for the cause.

The main source of money and awareness comes from the organization’s annual Heart Walk.

“The Heart Walk is the first big thing since I was nominated,” she said.

Money will be raised before the event through donations from businesses in Troy, the raffle at the walk and the sale of T-shirts.

The actual walk, scheduled for Feb. 10, will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Troy Community Recreation Center. Free and open to the public, it will offer door prizes, raffles, a jazz band performance and, of course, the walk itself.

“Anyone can show up and participate,” said Nonnenmann, inviting all Troy students to attend. “The plan for me is to work with the younger generation and try to involve the Troy University students as well.”

Excited for her first large involvement with the Pike County Heart Board, Nonnenmann is also excited for her own future.

Currently taking a break from school after having a child, Nonnenmann works for the University and plans to go back to school in the future.

“It will be a little while before I go back and reapply,” she said.

Her plan is to eventually finish school and become a registered nurse. Unsure of exactly where she would like to work, such as an ICU or NICU, Nonnenmann knows that she is passionate about the medical field.

“I hope to raise more awareness in the younger generation because it really starts when you’re young in the decisions that you make,” she said of her personal interest in her new place on the board.