Pleasant Ridge Becomes 2nd School to Donate $1 Million to American Heart Association

GLENVIEW, IL - Pleasant Ridge Elementary School became just the second school in the country to raise $1 million for the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope for Hearts Program, a program that’s been around for 37 years.

Pleasant Ridge teacher Dr. David Jones began the school’s participation in the program some 30 years ago, and since then has helped the school raise $50,000-$60,000 a year. The average school that participates in the annual event led by physical education instructors is around $3,500 a year. Approximately 24,000 schools take part every year.

This year’s event at Pleasant Ridge took place on Friday, Feb. 12. The event engages elementary school students with jumping rope while empowering them to improve their health and help other kids with heart-health issues, according to a District 34 news release. The program helps to satisfy the National Standards for Physical Education and the National Standards for Health Education.

“Each year of the event, my favorite part is the energy we put into the community service. Helping others can be fun, and this is a powerful lesson,” Jones said. “Our community also directly benefits from our fundraising, as the dollars come back here, in the form of heart care, and nationally, in the form of research into heart disease and stroke.”

This year, Jones will be the Guest of Honor at the Midwest Affiliate AHA Heart Ball at Navy Pier.

“Over the years, I’ve continued to be touched by the honors from American Heart, and this year’s recognition is something very special to me,” said Jones. “Most importantly, I hope the work and dedication of the Pleasant Ridge community has helped saved a few lives along the way.”