Undergrad Alaina Wendlandt makes "dramatic difference" with Girl Scout heart campaign

J-Schooler Alaina Wendlandt never expected national exposure when she took a marketing internship with UW Health, but in fall semester, it found her.

Wendlandt was featured in January's "Dramatic Difference" on TNT, an effort to promote grassroots movements to improve communities. TNT sought Wendlandt because of a campaign she developed with UW Health, the American Heart Association and the Girl Scouts to provide a "Go Red" patch to educate young women about heart disease.

Securing the UW Health internship through the J-School gave Wendlandt a real-world outlet for the concepts she learned in the classroom. When challenged to come up with a way to inform girls about heart health and encourage them to share their knowledge with their mothers and grandmothers, UW Health immediately saw the Girl Scouts as a vehicle.

"It is not often that a student is given the opportunity and support to create a project of this caliber," Wendlandt says.

Since the program's inception in September, more than 200 Wisconsin girls have earned the Go Red patch. UW Health is still receiving inquiries from across the country.

The Wisconsin State Journal also covered Wendlandt's initiative
locally. She hopes the exposure will help expand and promote the Go Red campaign and the patch, ultimately improving heart health and saving lives. For more information on Go Red, visit the American Heart Association (link to http://www.goredforwomen.org/)