For 25 years these teachers have helped kids rise to the heart challenge

Fundraising for the American Heart Association is serious business at North Attleboro Middle School in Massachusetts.

With an annual enrollment of around 900 students, the school has earned top state and national donation awards and raised more than $1.48 million since 1998 through its annual "Hoops for Heart" event.

The event is part of the AHA's American Heart Challenge, which is aimed at improving the social, emotional and physical health of middle and high school students. The AHA hosts a similar program for elementary students called the Kids Heart Challenge. These service-learning fundraisers encourage physical activity, while raising donations and awareness for heart health, Hands-Only CPR, mental well-being and more.

Founded in 1924, the AHA began large-scale fundraising with a public-education focus in the late 1940s. The AHA's formal effort to enlist schoolchildren's hearts and minds in the fight against cardiovascular disease began in 1979 after Milwaukee schoolteacher Jean Barkow hosted a jump rope event that combined physical activity with fundraising. Today's challenges, run by the AHA, provide timely and age-appropriate resources that allow each school to customize how to teach the information and how to raise funds.

At North Attleboro, physical education teachers Jason Feid and John Dempsey have run the basketball event at their school from the start. Their efforts earned them the Outstanding Team of the Year award from the AHA in 2023.

"The most exciting thing has been seeing the growth each year," Dempsey said. "The first year was disappointing because we only raised $630. But we knew we could do more. Then the kids and the families got more and more involved and supported everything we did.

"That excitement is what kept us going."

More than 16,000 students at the school have participated over the past 25 years.

"We've been blown away by the number of people who get involved," Feid said. "It's such a high-energy event. Every three years, we have a new set of kids and there is always excitement, always something new."

North Attleboro's fundraiser, scheduled Wednesday, April 24 this year, includes a schoolwide party where students participate in a variety of fun events like slam dunk contests, inflatable obstacle courses and a teacher dunk tank. The school also welcomes local celebrities and other guests. Some notable speakers have included New England Patriots stars, college athletes, heart disease survivors and more.

"It's amazing how much the school and community come together that day," Dempsey said. "Older brothers and sisters talk about it, and that builds the excitement for their younger siblings. Some even have stories of when their parents were at the school and did the challenge."

The duo shares credit for the school's success with everyone involved in the event, including staff, parents, volunteers and community leaders. They're also quick to praise the students.

"Middle school kids are very competitive," Feid said. "Knowing we are the top school feeds into these kids not wanting to lose that title."

The challenge also helps students adapt to a changing world.

"It's a huge outreach opportunity for us that helps promote the idea that our physical education department is not just a gym class," Feid said. "We're wellness teachers. We use the event as a way to show students that everything is interconnected. Mental health, anxiety, stress, family history, diet – all of these things matter when trying to care for our hearts."

Promoting a healthy lifestyle from a young age is important, the teachers said. The event also helps students feel connected to others dealing with heart problems.

"Students feel less alone," Feid said. "So many times they will say, 'I thought my family was the only one affected by heart disease.'"

That sentiment hits close to home for Feid, who lost his brother Daniel at age 47 to a heart attack last year. The loss only strengthens his dedication to the event.

"The work we are doing matters," he said. "When I ask the kids if their family is affected by heart disease nearly every hand goes up.

"I want fewer and fewer hands to go up every year."