Parley’s Park Elementary School raised $28,833 for the American Heart Association Hoops for the Heart and Jump Rope for the Heart last winter.
Parley’s Physical Education teacher Jen Wheelwright has been the school’s coordinator for eight years and has helped raise more than $149,000.
“I look forward to teaching the importance of a healthy lifestyle and relating it to a healthy heart.” And she said, “I really relate exercising and eating right to a healthy heart.”
Wheelwright said the students exceeded their goal by more than $7,000. Parley’s top fundraisers were Maya Levine, who raised $1,305 and Emma Greally, who raised $1,615.
“Maya did a lot of it online. The kids can make a website and send emails to friends and family. One of the reasons we did so well this year was because we encouraged that.” Wheelwright added that she will encourage students to use the internet as a fundraising resource this year too.
According to the American Heart Associations Youth Market Director Cassidie Fenton, 100 percent of the schools proceeds go back to the AHA.
Last year, Parley’s was the top fundraising school for the AHA in Utah. Trailside Elementary was second, raising $13,095, followed by McPolin Elementary, which raised $12,218 and Jeremy Ranch Elementary, which raised $11,382.
Fenton said Parley’s has donated $205,409 since they started fundraising for the AHA in 1996.
According to Fenton, the energy and passion the Park City coordinators exhibit is inspiring.
“Every one of my coordinators in Park City are amazing and wonderful to work with. If you were to come to the events you can see how passionate they are,” she said.
This year, Wheelwright said Parley’s tentative goal is to surpass the money raised last year by $1. Although the AHA fundraiser doesn’t begin until February, Wheelwright and Fenton will begin planning this fall.