More than 350,000 people in the United States experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year, and approximately 23,000 are children.

In the first critical moments of a medical emergency, the people nearby are most likely family members, educators, coaches or even other students, and many have never been taught what to do. Schools in Missouri are working to change that by participating in the American Heart Association’s school-based programs, Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge, which teach students and families how to respond when they witness someone experiencing a cardiac arrest or stroke.

Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge are service-learning fundraising programs that empower students to build healthy habits, strengthen character and discover purpose while raising funds for the lifesaving mission of the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health and hope for everyone everywhere. Since 2021, more than 1.1 milli…