CONCORD ROAD CELEBRATES THEIR 25TH JUMP ROPE FOR HEART!
- Suzanne Sawyer

On Wednesday, February 6, students at Concord Road Elementary School in Ardsley jumped all over heart disease and stroke by participating in the school’s 25th annual Jump Rope For Heart. The students raised more than $13,000 this year for the American Heart Association. Over the past 25 years, Concord Road has raised more than $200,000 for the American Heart Association.

"The event was great this year," said Karen McGeory, physical education teacher at Concord Road who organizes Jump Rope For Heart every year with fellow physical education teachers, Tom Elliott and Julie Ford. "The staff, community and students really put their hearts into it."

Donations raised during Jump Rope For Heart help fund research to fight heart disease and stroke and also support the American Heart Association’s public and professional education programs. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in America and stroke is No. 3.

The students in third and fourth grade at Concord Rd formed jumping groups for the day of the event and were busy coming up with names for their teams and team t-shirts that they made with the help of their parents. On the day of Jump Rope For Heart event, the third grade came down to the gym for the first hour and the fourth grade for the second. A local DJ (and alum of Concord Rd) spun tunes during the event. Parents, siblings, teachers, administrators and others stood on the sidelines cheering on the students. Some adults even took up ropes to jump with the kids!

At the end of the third grade jump, Dawn Catucci gave a speech that reminded everyone why they do this event every year. She told the story of her son, who is now a Junior at Byram Hills High School. He was born with a heart problem and had surgery to fix that problem when he was only two days old. He had to have another surgery about a year ago, but is doing fine now. She noted the advancements that cardiologists have been able to make in the past fifteen years with the help of the American Heart Association. "This time around, the surgery only took a few hours. He was up and playing sports in no time," said Mrs. Catucci, a psychologist at Ardsley High School.

Jump Rope For Heart is a program that promotes physical fitness and heart health through the fun activity of jumping rope. It is co-sponsored by the American Heart Association and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.