According to Living for Zachary Marketing and Communications Manager Kendra Briscoe,
“Each year in the United States, thousands of young people with their entire lives and futures ahead have their dreams cut short due to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). This silent killer affects seemingly healthy children of all ages and backgrounds, and is reported by Parent Heart Watch as the leading cause of death on school campuses and the #1 killer of student athletes. At Living for Zachary, we’re on a mission to change these statistics and save young hearts.
“Living for Zachary was founded in 2009 after the death of 16-year-old Zachary Schrah, who collapsed suddenly while at high school football practice in Plano. For too many families like Zachary’s, help comes too late for children lost to cardiac arrest. The good news? We have the power to fight SCA through resources and education provided directly to families and organizations that can help save lives before SCA strikes and after it has occurred.
“Living for Zachary works to raise awareness and prevent SCA in youth by providing youth heart screenings for ages 12-22, Automated External Defibrillator (AED) donations, CPR training, education, and student scholarships to young hearts that need them across North Texas and beyond.
“Over the last two years, Living for Zachary has increased its number of AED donations across Texas by 87%, as well as youth heart screenings provided by 56%. Giving Day has been an integral part of our ability to grow our program impact year over year and reach more hearts with services they may not otherwise have access to. Each year, we have the honor of seeing supporters rally together during our annual NTx Giving Day campaign where we invite donors to ‘Get in the Huddle’ with Team L4Z in support of the fight against SCA in youth. This support has also played a role in allowing us to expand with the launch of a new school-based SCA prevention program, SuperHeart Schools!
“At Living for Zachary, we know sudden cardiac arrest doesn’t wait, so neither will we. Each young person deserves a brighter, healthier future with every chance to grow up and achieve their dreams. But for too many hearts, the clock is already ticking. Together, we have the power to stand up and make a change by providing life-saving services across as many communities in North Texas as possible. Our children’s hearts are counting on us – let’s get to work!”
* Photo credit: Living for Zachary ** Graphic/photo provided by Living for Zachary
Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day helps build awareness and support for nonprofits like nothing else. In 2021, $66 million was raised through 103,000 donors benefiting over 3,300 local nonprofits, bringing the 13-year total to over $441 million for our community. NTx Giving Day is the largest community-wide giving event in the nation.
On Thursday, September 22, support Living for Zachary by linking here and spreading the word. #NTxGivingDay