MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- General Mills' Cheerios® has signed on as a national supporter of the American Heart Association's My Heart. My Life. Healthy Living program, which includes the Twin Cities Heart Walk, scheduled for May 4, 2013 at Target Field. As part of the  promotion, specially marked boxes of Cheerios® cereal  include a code that consumers can enter on the Cheerios website (Cheerios.com/donate). A $1 donation will be made to the American Heart Association, up to a maximum of $100,000 for each entry, through January 31, 2014.

The American Heart Association's My Heart. My Life. prevention platform is a comprehensive health, wellness and fitness initiative to empower Americans to get healthier. It's an important component of the American Heart Association's sweeping national goal: to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent and to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent by the year 2020.

"Cheerios is proud to be continuing to motivate, inspire and educate all people to live healthier lives. We are excited to partner with the American Heart Association to help further foster heart healthy eating and education in our nation," said Meredith Tutterow, Cheerios Marketing Associate Director.

"We are very excited to have a national supporter right in our own backyard," said Kimberly Friend, executive director of the American Heart Association's Twin Cities market. "This partnership will help the American Heart Association fund lifesaving heart and stroke research in the Twin Cities and across the country."

Through the My Heart. My Life. Platform, General Mills will be supporting the 2013 Twin Cities Heart Walk. The walk will be Saturday, May 4, at Target Field in Minneapolis. The event is free but donations are encouraged. Over 25,000 people are expected to attend and can enjoy a family-friendly health fair with free health screenings, CPR training, give-aways and more before gathering for a walk through downtown Minneapolis. More information can be found at www.twincitiesheartwalk.org.

SOURCE American Heart Association