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Students jump rope for heart health awareness
Jump rope pic1
Students Krystian Baran, left, and Cody Jones, right, hold the jump rope for Elvis Lowam, center. The Black’s Mill Elementary students participated in Jump Rope for Heart last week. - photo by Frank Reddy Dawson Community News

Like many other students across the country, children at Black’s Mill Elementary hopped, skipped and jumped for donations last week to benefit the American Heart Association.

  

Jump Rope for Heart is an annual fundraising event that teaches youth about the importance of heart health while encouraging them to raise dollars for the organization.

  

Sarah Pruitt, a physical education teacher at Black’s Mill, said the school has raised more than $47,000 in total since 1998 for the American Heart Association.

  

In order to raise money, teachers send information home to parents explaining the program. Children receive donations from their family and friends, Pruitt said.

  

“They can raise a dollar, or they can raise $100,” she said. “Either way, they’re making a difference for a very worthy cause.”

  

Several weeks after donations have been sent to the American Heart Association, students who participated will receive “thank-you prizes” from the organization.

  

All elementary schools in Dawson County plan to hold Jump Rope for Heart events throughout the year.

  

According to its Web site, the mission of the American Heart Association is “to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.”

  

For more information, visit www.heart.org.