Expansive energy for a universal fight against women's cardiovascular disease

Eight months after his arrival at Agir pour le Cœur des Femmes, National Delegate Erwan Martin takes stock of the situation, and looks ahead to the future.

How would you sum up your first few months at Agir pour le Coeur des Femmes?.
An assessment in three words: energy, vitality and singularity. The energy committed by the two co-founders of Agir pour le Cœur des Femmes is incredible. Claire Mounier-Véhier and Thierry Drilhon not only succeeded in their gamble of creating, structuring and developing a project commensurate with their ambition to serve the general interest, but they also put in place the necessary, structuring elements to ensure the long-term future of an organization like ours. This energy is very expansive, and is shared on a daily basis with all the contributors to our actions! On each stage of the Women's Heart Bus, nearly a hundred volunteers from all walks of life join forces to take part in this great adventure of screening and prevention. Over and above this vitality, I believe that women's faces remain the crucible of our action: that of awakening the "care" of all those we reach out to.
What's more, we now receive an astonishing number of diverse requests every day, testifying to the relevance of our initiatives and the real impact of our local actions. Team spirit is omnipresent, and the idea of breaking away from the status quo in the face of women's cardiovascular disease is deeply motivating for all those who are now involved in our endowment fund. I'm one of them now!

Which event has had the greatest impact on you in recent months?
Without hesitation, the impact of the urban violence last June, with its direct and immediate effect on our screening and prevention system. The emotion that deeply affected us was also felt by public opinion, triggering an exceptional outpouring of solidarity. The entire team immediately mobilized in bulldozer mode to defy this blow of fate. And the results are in: the Women's Heart Bus tour schedule has been preserved, a new Bus has been inaugurated, and the equipment has been delivered. Thanks to the support of donors, patrons, driving forces and the media, we have benefited from structuring resources that will enable us to go further and faster in our awareness-raising actions.

How do you see the development of the endowment fund?
The structuring of our organization has accelerated, with a new head office, premises, consolidation of the team, professionalization of actions as well as our organization, multiplication of contacts... We have passed a milestone, thanks to the energy of our two co-founders, the involvement of our Board of Directors and the synergies of our Steering Committee. And there's no end in sight: we're even going to step up our development, at every level, step by step.

How do you view all the partners and volunteers involved with Agir pour le Coeur des Femmes?
The Women's Heart Bus fire was an opportunity for our partners to reveal their attachment, indeed their affection for our fight. Many of them are now committed to working alongside us, and what's more, to new ambitions that will see the light of day in 2024. In particular, they will address the problems of outlying and rural areas in terms of screening and prevention. Every week, new partners ask us to support them, and this prospect reinforces both our dynamism and our know-how. Our volunteers now number in the hundreds, all over France. They come mainly from the healthcare sector, but not only. Company employees, retirees, students and healthcare professionals come to us to lend a hand with our actions. We still need to consolidate the organization of our territorial network, but we already have a very solid base. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them most sincerely, because without them, the "spirit" of Agir pour le Cœur des Femmes would be different. We'll be bringing all our ambassadors together for the first time in Paris on December 14.

Where do you see Acting for Women's Hearts occupying space in the coming years?
We'll be pursuing our strategy of "small, quick steps", which enables us to move forward step by step with efficiency, benevolence and high standards. At the end of June, our Board of Directors adopted a three-year strategic plan. This will enable us to assume a key role in the field of prevention. Claire Mounier-Véhier and Thierry Drilhon will have the opportunity to speak on this subject in the near future. Through this plan, we will undertake initiatives that meet our social missions and ambitions. We will be working with all stakeholders, both nationally and internationally. We want to go further in the universal fight against cardiovascular disease in women. We will do everything in our power, collectively, to mobilize the resources needed to achieve our ambitious goals, in the service of all women.