Help Support HeartStrong

Please help us to raise funds to purchase AED's for our schools and athletic fields to make our community HEART SAFE and HEARTSTRONG!

We are HEARTSTRONG- Gracie, Allie, and Jackie. We are three 11 year old girls, in the 6th grade from Ayer-Shirley Massachusetts.  We have started a youth venture program in our community, in an effort to make a difference. Our goal is to raise money so that we can purchase cardiac defibrillators/AED's for our schools, athletic fields (Pirone park & Wilde Road), town beach (Sandy Pond), and town pool (Benjamin Pool).

Each year, 400,000 people die from Sudden Cardiac Arrest.  Sudden Cardiac Arrest, or SCA, is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectantly stops beating.  When someone goes into cardiac arrest, an electrical shock provided by an AED is the ONLY effective treatment.  A shock MUST be provided within 3-4 minutes for best chance of survival. For every minute lost awaiting EMS to arrive, ones chance of survival decreases by 10%. The average EMS response time is 9-12 minutes, which is often too late. Our goal is to have an AED READILY available ON SITE for use, in case someone goes into cardiac arrest.  We are also pledging to provide the knowledge how to use the AED's, along with CPR to all coaches (school and recreation), school staff, students, athletes, and parents.  We want to have an emergency plan in place in case somebody goes into cardiac arrest.  Often times, resuscitation is delayed or not done because of fear, not knowing what to do, and not recognizing the situation.  We want all of our community members to be able to recognize sudden cardiac arrest, and be able to REACT FAST.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest does not discriminate.  It can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at anytime.  There are many causes of sudden cardiac arrest.  Some examples include illness, heart defects, heart attack, dehydration, heat exertion, and drownings.  Sudden Cardiac Arrest can even happen to young healthy athletes, as a result of a hard blow or impact to the chest.  The impact to the chest, can cause the heart to go into a rhythm that is incompatible with life- this is called COMMOTIO CORDIS. The ONLY means of survival is shocking the heart back into rhythm by an AED.  Commotio Cordis is becoming more common as so many kids play contact sports these days.  AED's MUST be READILY available on site for best chance of survival.  There are so many games, athletes, and spectators in our town, but not enough AED's.  Please help us to attain our goal to place AED's where they can be READILY available for use.

Please help us to make our community HEART SAFE and HEARTSTRONG!

https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/bd82/heartstrong?utm_source=faceb...