{"id":36766,"date":"2021-11-14T11:46:04","date_gmt":"2021-11-14T16:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=36766"},"modified":"2021-11-14T11:46:04","modified_gmt":"2021-11-14T16:46:04","slug":"local-business-woman-receives-major-award-from-capital-region-heart-association","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/11\/local-business-woman-receives-major-award-from-capital-region-heart-association\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Business Woman Receives Major Award From Capital Region Heart Association"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Maria Decker received the 2021 Jane Golub Crystal Heart Award.
Courtesy American Heart Association<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Maria Decker, a local business woman, first became involved with the American Heart Association\u2019s Go Red for Women movement in 2011, when SEFCU\u2019s Chief Administrative Officer Barbara Hess invited her to a Circle of Red Meeting. <\/span><\/p>\n

At that meeting, Decker heard a statistic that astounded her. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I heard that one in three women die of heart disease, I couldn\u2019t believe it,\u201d she said, and joined the Circle of Red on the spot. <\/span><\/p>\n

Since then, Decker has worked to raise awareness about women\u2019s heart health. To honor her efforts, Decker was given the 2021 Jane Golub Crystal Heart Award from the American Heart Association at the 2021 Go Red for Women Luncheon set for Friday, Nov. 12, at the Albany Capital Center. <\/span><\/p>\n

After joining the Circle of Red, Decker quickly became involved with the BetterU, the annual heart-health improvement program that about 12 women participate in, and whose efforts are showcased at the Go Red for Women Luncheon. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Decker is the chair of the BetterU program, which has now touched the lives of more than 120 women. Decker also chaired the Go Red for Women Luncheon in 2013, and is serving for the second time on the Capital Region Board of Directors of the American Heart Association. <\/span><\/p>\n

Decker owns Maria\u2019s Bowls and Smoothies\u00a0 <\/span>in Saratoga Springs and is manager of the River Street Market in Troy, said. \u201cJane Golub was someone who didn\u2019t just show up at an event, she put everything she had into it. And I feel humbled to follow in the footsteps of past winners Dr. Suzie Mookherjee of Albany Med and Kathy Lanni of SEFCU.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Decker presented the Crystal Heart Award to Dr. Mookherjee in 2018. It was renamed the Jane Golub Crystal Heart Award the following year, after Jane Golub passed away. <\/span><\/p>\n

As a teenager, Decker and her brother Angelo Mazzone began working in their family\u2019s Italian restaurant. Decker has worked in the food industry for many years, and emphasizes healthy, unprocessed food and regular exercise in her life, and of the people she loves. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with the BetterU women is very rewarding,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery year, a group of strangers becomes very close and support each other in really big ways. This year\u2019s group faced special challenges. They started at the end of January in 2020, and we went remote in March 2020, then rescheduled the group to begin again in person in the summer of 2021. They have come back strong and worked so hard since then. I\u2019m so proud of them.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaria exemplifies the word community,\u201d said Michele Kollmer, relationship manager, CAP COM at Work and co-chair of the 2021 Go Red for Women Luncheon. \u201cShe is selfless and continues to work with women to help them gain the confidence and knowledge to live a \u2018heart-healthy\u2019 life.\u00a0 As the co-chair of this year\u2019s event, I\u2019m proud to present Maria with the Crystal Heart award.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaria\u2019s incredible dedication and commitment to AHA is exceptional,\u201d said Christianne Smith, owner of Designsmith Studio and co-chair of the 2021 Go Red for Women Luncheon. \u201cHer insatiable desire to encourage and support, is experienced by everyone she meets. She is our mama bear, best friend, and soul sister wrapped into one. When I think of the heartbeat of the American Heart Association, I think of Maria first.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Decker is originally from Massapequa and now lives in Clifton Park with her husband, Bob. They have four children and six grandchildren. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maria Decker, a local business woman, first became involved with the American Heart Association\u2019s Go Red for Women movement in 2011, when SEFCU\u2019s Chief Administrative Officer Barbara Hess invited her to a Circle of Red Meeting. At that meeting, Decker heard a statistic that astounded her. \u201cWhen I heard that one in three women die […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":36767,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"\r\nLocal Business Woman Receives Major Award From Capital Region Heart Association - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/11\/local-business-woman-receives-major-award-from-capital-region-heart-association\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Local Business Woman Receives Major Award From Capital Region Heart Association - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Maria Decker, a local business woman, first became involved with the American Heart Association\u2019s Go Red for Women movement in 2011, when SEFCU\u2019s Chief Administrative Officer Barbara Hess invited her to a Circle of Red Meeting. 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