About 600 students, from kindergarten to third grade, jumped rope during the Jump Rope for Heart event Friday at J.W. Oakley Elementary School in Brawley. (JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTO) |
BRAWLEY — With camera in hand, Mel Gonzales patiently waited for the moment when his two daughters would start jumping rope along with about 100 other pupils.
Gonzales’ daughters, Lilian, 7, and Emily, 6, students at J.W. Oakley Elementary School in Brawley, prepared themselves for Friday’s event by jumping rope everyday for the last couple of weeks, he said.
“We were up until last night,” Gonzales said. “We do it every year.”
The Gonzales children were among more than 790 students at Oakley school that took part in the Jump Rope for Heart campaign that was aimed at raising money for the American Heart Association.
On a larger scale, the Jump Rope for Heart at Oakley Elementary was just one of five similar events other Imperial Valley schools participated in Friday as part of the American Heart Association’s effort to raise awareness about cardiovascular medical issues, and the need to eat right and getting exercise.
That annual health-related Jump Rope for Heart or Hoops campaign began in late January at Corfman Elementary School and is scheduled to continue through April 9, with a total of 24 schools in the Imperial Valley participating, according to the American Heart Association.
Next week, Seeley Elementary, Lincoln, McCabe and Meadows schools in El Centro and Miguel Hidalgo in Brawley and Mains in Calexico will jump or hoop it up.
The Jump Rope or Hoops events serves to educate kids on the value of maintaining cardiovascular health and “to contribute to their communities” by fundraising for research that can save lives, a press statement with the American Heart Association read.
“Taking care of our hearts and learning how to live a healthy lifestyle at a very young age is imperative,” an AHA press statement read.
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at spanta@ivpressonline.com
Gonzales’ daughters, Lilian, 7, and Emily, 6, students at J.W. Oakley Elementary School in Brawley, prepared themselves for Friday’s event by jumping rope everyday for the last couple of weeks, he said.
“We were up until last night,” Gonzales said. “We do it every year.”
The Gonzales children were among more than 790 students at Oakley school that took part in the Jump Rope for Heart campaign that was aimed at raising money for the American Heart Association.
On a larger scale, the Jump Rope for Heart at Oakley Elementary was just one of five similar events other Imperial Valley schools participated in Friday as part of the American Heart Association’s effort to raise awareness about cardiovascular medical issues, and the need to eat right and getting exercise.
That annual health-related Jump Rope for Heart or Hoops campaign began in late January at Corfman Elementary School and is scheduled to continue through April 9, with a total of 24 schools in the Imperial Valley participating, according to the American Heart Association.
Next week, Seeley Elementary, Lincoln, McCabe and Meadows schools in El Centro and Miguel Hidalgo in Brawley and Mains in Calexico will jump or hoop it up.
The Jump Rope or Hoops events serves to educate kids on the value of maintaining cardiovascular health and “to contribute to their communities” by fundraising for research that can save lives, a press statement with the American Heart Association read.
“Taking care of our hearts and learning how to live a healthy lifestyle at a very young age is imperative,” an AHA press statement read.
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at spanta@ivpressonline.com
