Kids to Jump Rope for Heart to raise money on Feb. 5

In an effort to beat heart disease and stroke — two of the top causes of death in the nation — students at all nine Huron Valley elementary schools will be participating in the school district’s fifth annual Jump Rope for Heart event, one of the largest in Oakland County, on Saturday, Feb. 5 at the Milford High School Fieldhouse.

The event will be divided into two sessions, one from 9 to 11 a.m.; and the other from 1 to 3 p.m. for the anticipated 500 to 800 students participating.

“The American Heart Association gave us the teaching tools and equipment,” said Highland Elementary Physical Education and Jump Rope for Heart District Coordinator Sherry Bell. “We educate the kids on heart facts, staying active, and nutrition. Jump Rope for Heart is the culminating activity.”

Huron Valley Schools will also be participating in the American Heart Association’s National Wear Red Day on Friday, Feb. 4.

“Students and staff will be wearing red in support of ‘Go Red for Women’ because heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women,” Bell said. “It helps publicize heart awareness to improve the heart rate through exercise programs.”

The Huron Valley district, along with physical education teachers, has raised over $250,000 for the American Heart Association over the years by holding a Jump Rope for Heart event to fund life-saving research.

This year the district is trying to reach out to the community thanks to the Carol M. White Physical Education Program grant awarded last year.

While the students are jumping rope, parents can avail themselves to four different vendors on the fieldhouse’s upper track. DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital representatives will be running blood checks and disseminating information on heart disease and stroke; a bike safety program will be promoting bicycling as a physical activity and selling helmets; and the Nature Connection program featuring Heavner Canoes and state parks will be handing out literature, as will the American Heart Association.