Media contact: Gabriella “Gaby” Boehmer (831) 338-8710 or [email protected] Celebrities and Institute of HeartMath Partner up to Support the Troops Sports items being auctioned to support HeartMath’s Military Service Appreciation Fund TV, film and music stars gathered recently in West Hollywood, Calif., to help the Institute of HeartMath and charitybuzz.com kick off an online sports auction to benefit the institute’s Military Service Appreciation Fund. Celebrities from the hit TV series Glee, Nip/Tuck, Dancing With the Stars, Jersey Shore, Modern Family and Castle were among those who participated in the event, where they autographed a top-of-the-line surfboard and snowboard, which are up for auction through Feb. 10 at http://bit.ly/MSAF-Celeb-Auctions. Mark Salling, Glee’s Noah “Puck” Puckerman, and Jenni “JWoww” Farley from MTV’s reality hit, Jersey Shore, were among the 17 stars who were part of the charitable event to benefit HeartMath’s Military Service Appreciation Fund (MSAF). This fund supports HeartMath’s science-based programs, services, tools and technology. It already has helped thousands of returned troops, veterans and their families with the mental and emotional needs arising from their service to the nation. The MSAF has been especially important for those who have served in combat zones and helping them return to their lives back home. Familiar TV faces attending IHM’s charity event also included former Dancing With the Stars co-host Samantha Harris and Jon Huertas who plays the lead role in Castle. Harris said at the event: “The troops do so much for us. It’s great to give back to them." Huertas is a veteran himself and a frequent supporter of charitable events for the troops. He served eight years in the Air Force, including in operations Just Cause in Panama and Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf War. Other celebrities who attended the event and autographed the auction items were Gilles Marini, who played “Dante” in Sex and the City: The Movie; Annalynne McCord, the evil and sultry “Eden Lord” in Nip/Tuck; Rico Rodriguez, the mature- beyond-his-years “Manny” on Modern Family; and Judith Shekoni, who stars as Zefrina in the upcoming Breaking Dawn and Eclipse movies in the Twilight Saga. The items up for bid are a twin-fin Surf Through Life surfboard from the Bird Rock Surf Shop in La Jolla, Calif., and a White Collection snowboard from Burton Snowboards in Burlington, Vt. Detailed descriptions of these items and a complete list of the celebrities who autographed them are at http://www.charitybuzz.com. Some of the celebrities at the event had an opportunity to try out HeartMath’s hand-held emWave® technology, which service members are using for a variety of conditions, including stress and posttraumatic stress disorder. Salling in particular expressed interest in having HeartMath’s emWave® PSR (emWave.com) on the set of Glee, whose cast members perhaps could benefit from the handheld stress-reduction device because of the show’s reported intense shooting schedule recently. More information about this special fund and the Institute of HeartMath can be found at Military Service Appreciation Fund www.heartmath.org. ### About the Institute of HeartMath: The Institute of HeartMath, www.heartmath.org, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to teaching the principles of heart-based living around the world and promoting global coherence by inspiring people to connect with the intelligence and guidance of their hearts. IHM has been conducting scientific research on the physiology of emotions and the science of the heart for nearly two decades. IHM, a world leader in stress reduction and emotion- management research, was founded in 1991 by Doc Childre. Through its research and education divisions, the institute has developed practical tools, education programs and services – collectively known as the HeartMath System – for the mental, emotional and physical benefit of children through seniors without regard to their social, economic or cultural status. IHM’s research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including American Journal of Cardiology, Stress Medicine, Preventive Cardiology, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science and Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. For more information about IHM’s education and professional development programs, visit www.heartmath.org/education. You can learn more about IHM’s latest available resources by joining its social networking pages on Facebook and Twitter and its YouTube channel. IHM’s HeartMath My Kids! resource page is dedicated to providing all caretakers of children with practical information..