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What is the leading cause of death for Americans? Heart disease – and two brothers from Oak Park are teaming up to not only spread awareness but also raise funds to fight this killer.
Evan Pope, 18, and his sister Vivian Pope, 14, both students at Oak Park and River Forest High Schools, competed in this year’s American Heart Association’s nine-week Teen of Impact competition. There is.
This contest focuses on raising awareness throughout the community about the importance of heart health and how to know the warning signs of a potential heart attack.
The brother duo launched the campaign on National Wear Red Day, February 2nd, and in hopes of being named the 2024 Impactful Teen (or Teen, in this case) You have to collect the most money by 9 o’clock.
Through a “blind contest,” teens plan a campaign to raise heart health awareness and recruit people to join their “teams,” according to the American Heart Association’s website.
“Heart disease runs in our family,” Evan said. “This disease really hit home for us because we had relatives who died from this disease.”
The American Heart Association, founded in 1924, is a national organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke.
According to the association, the report, called “Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2024: Report,” found that heart disease is the world’s No. 1 killer and stroke is the world’s No. 2 killer for more than a century. His status as a deceased person has been maintained for a long time. U.S. and World Dates by American Heart Association Show.
However, research has also found that most people do not have such connections. For example, the AHA’s January report found that more than half of respondents to the 2023 Harris Poll did not identify heart disease as the nation’s leading cause of death.
The Pope Brothers work hard to spread awareness, reaching out to people in the community to raise awareness and raise funds to benefit the organization.
The teens’ goal is $8,000.
“We try to reach out to everyone we know every week and come up with fun facts to get donations,” Evan said.
The teens created a short, church-ready video to promote their campaign and educate members of Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago’s South Side about heart health during church-sponsored CPR events. I created an ad.
Evan said the teens are also organizing other events, such as CPR events, to continue raising awareness.
As a member of the local chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., a membership organization dedicated to developing African American leadership, Vivian is excited about the potential to bring CPR work to the community. He said he was there.
Heart health is a particular concern for the African American community.
Statistics show that African-Americans are 30% more likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic whites, and African-American women are almost 50% more likely to have high blood pressure than non-Hispanic whites. %expensive.
As the teens continue to spread awareness, the team has grown to 12 members and continues to accept donations until April 4th.
Donations can be made to support the Pope brothers through the American Heart Association’s Teens of Impact website.
“We know it makes a difference in today’s society,” Vivian said.
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