American Heart Association Awards Wellness Grants to 69 Schools Nationwide to Address Youth Health Crisis
TL;DR
The American Heart Association's wellness grants provide schools with resources to enhance student health, potentially improving academic performance and community reputation.
The American Heart Association awards grants to schools for physical education equipment, nutrition programs, and mental health services through structured annual application cycles.
These grants create healthier school environments, promoting physical activity and better nutrition to combat childhood obesity and improve long-term community health.
Children as young as nine learn Hands-Only CPR through these programs, gaining lifesaving skills while improving their own health and wellness.
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The American Heart Association has awarded wellness grants to 69 schools across the United States to address concerning health trends among American youth, where only one in four children meets recommended daily physical activity levels and approximately one-third are overweight or obese. These grants, distributed through the Association's Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge initiatives, provide critical resources to create healthier learning environments in schools spanning 37 states.
The funding supports diverse health and wellness needs specific to each school community, including physical education equipment purchases, playground upgrades, water filling station installations, and counseling services. These resources enable more students and staff to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, manage stress effectively, and ultimately live longer, healthier lives. Lee Shapiro, J.D., volunteer chair of the board of the American Heart Association, emphasized that "Healthy living should be possible no matter where you live," noting that the grants address unique community needs through targeted support for nutrition enhancement, activity increase, and mental well-being improvement.
All schools participating in the Kids Heart Challenge or American Heart Challenge programs are eligible to apply for these grants, which are awarded multiple times throughout each school year. The challenges reach more than 10 million students in approximately 20,000 American schools annually, providing participants and their families with education on smart eating habits, stress management techniques, tobacco and vaping avoidance, and recognition of heart attack and stroke warning signs. Additionally, students receive training in Hands-Only CPR, a lifesaving skill that children as young as nine can learn and apply during cardiac emergencies.
The impact of these grants extends beyond immediate resource provision, potentially influencing long-term public health outcomes by addressing childhood health disparities at the community level. Schools interested in participating can register for the 2025–26 school year through the Association's official portal at heart.org/jointhechallenge. A complete list of current award recipients and their project summaries demonstrates the program's nationwide reach and diverse approach to improving youth health outcomes through school-based interventions.
Curated from NewMediaWire
