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Canfield kids jump rope for heart association
Canfield students raise funds for heart association
By Justin Wier
CANFIELD
Students at C.H. Campbell Elementary School are hopping, skipping and jumping their way toward fighting heart disease.
On Friday, they kicked off the 20th annual Jump Rope for Heart event to raise money for the American Heart Association. The school has raised more than $100,000 for the organization the past 20 years, including $10,000 last year.
This year, Principal Travis Lavery said the event has a special significance for the students. First-grade student Xavier Tomko recently underwent heart surgery, and music teacher Michael Fay recently recovered fully from his heart surgery. Lavery said Xavier is well on his way to a full recovery as well.
“We have kids, staff, family and friends who are affected by heart disease, and this is a great way to give back,” Lavery said. “The idea of not being able to help because there isn’t money for research just isn’t acceptable.”
For the kickoff event, the school’s fourth-graders showed off their rope-jumping skills for the younger students.
Each class performed a routine for the rest of the school. In addition to traditional jump-roping techniques, students incorporated basketballs and pogo sticks, and one even performed back flips.
One student garnered applause by jumping from the push-up position while physical education teacher Ronie Haurin and another student manned the rope.
Haurin has organized Jump Rope for Heart for the past 20 years.
She said students who choose to participate will raise money and then return to the gym for jump-rope sessions to fulfill their commitments to donors.
The heart association provides rewards at various fundraising levels to encourage students to participate.
Haurin said in addition to raising money for the AHA, the event teaches students heart-healthy habits and gets them exercising.
“I mainly do it for the kids,” she said. “It helps the American Heart Association, but it’s for the kids.”