Saline Schools Breathe Life Into CPR Training
In late February, nearly 1,000 runners and walkers turned out for the 8th annual The Beat Goes On 5K Run/Walk, hosted by the Saline Memorial Health Foundation and Everett Buick GMC. Proceeds from the event will fund CPR kits and education for Benton, Bauxite, Bryant and Harmony Grove school districts, ensuring all graduating students in Saline County are CPR trained. The donated CPR kits—which include a CPR Annie and all equipment—allow for easy training for schools. The $20,000 donation is in conjunction with the Saline Memorial Health Foundation’s ongoing relationship with the American Heart Association, which hopes to increase bystander action throughout Arkansas. Nearly 30,000 Arkansas high school students will learn CPR this year as a graduation requirement.
Speaking of February’s heart-healthy events, nearly 900 students at Little Rock School District’s Don Roberts Elementary participated in a “jumpathon”—and raised more than $10,000 for the American Heart Association! The jumpathon is a component of the American Heart Association’s Jump for Heart initiative, which engages kids with jumping rope while empowering them to improve their own health and help other kids with heart-health issues.
And what’s better for our bodies than farm-fresh foods? That’s exactly what Pulaski County Special School District’s Warren Dupree Elementary students learned in March. Through a virtual field trip from the “Farm to School” exhibit sponsored by the University of Arkansas Agriculture Co-Op, students discovered why farms in Arkansas are important and how they help us maintain a balanced diet.