Carlyle Elementary School found themselves promoting a healthy lifestyle as they participated in the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Jump Rope for Heart, a program where youth collect pledges for heart disease and stroke research.
Approximately 4,000 schools across Canada participate with nearly 750,000 kids participating in the event.
In Carlyle the grade two students accompanied by grade six playground leaders practiced Thursday's at noon for six weeks before completing their half an hour of skipping rope on Thursday, March 20.
"We used to do the whole school," event organizer Joan Bue explained. "There's too many kids to fit in here now and the grade three's and up do cross country, and track and field, so this gives the grade two's something special to do."
Something special indeed as the grade two's successfully raised $3,329.25 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, which they cheered loudly about when the number was revealed by Bue after the skipping was completed.
"The amount we raise stays in Saskatchewan with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and we're given 10 percent of what we raise back to us," Bue stated.
The youth will deliberate on what to use this money for as they are currently completing a social studies program promoting community projects.
"They'll take the money and decide what to do with it," Bue said. "They're quite excited about helping people and giving back to the community."
For the duration of Jump Rope for Heart the youth learnt a lot of new ways to skip and many learned for the very first time how to jump rope.
Some of the youth called out what they had learned to do which included skipping rhymes, jumping in and out of a turning rope, crossing the rope while skipping, jumping backwards, turning around, and jumping with multiple people through using one rope.
Overall the program helps people in need of the Heart and Stroke Foundation while promoting healthy living amongst the youth who participate in it.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada someone dies from either a heart attack or stroke every seven minutes in Canada. They are also two of the three leading causes of death in Canada as based on data Statistics Canada gathered in 2008.
Nearly 16,000 Canadians die each year due to a heart attack and the majority of these occur prior to the individual reaching a hospital.
Approximately 14,000 Canadians die from strokes each year, with more women than men likely to be affected.
Risk factors associated with heart disease and stroke includes smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes. Thus, presenting a healthy lifestyle at a young age will help to ensure as young people grow they are making good decisions as a way to help prevent heart disease and strokes when they become older.
