Heart Week: February 12-16, 2007

Tuesday, February 6, 2007 - 15:06

The Heart of Life Foundation is organizing its 4^thannual Heart Week celebrations with the support of The Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation and in co-operation with several French and English School Boards (elementary and high schools) as well as private schools around the greater Montreal area.

Did you know that 1 in 100 children are born with a heart defect? This rate is 10 times higher than for any other childhood illness. The Heart of Life Fund was created in 1997 by parents of children born with heart defects who had undergone, at birth or at a very young age, a complex open heart surgery at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

Heart Week is a great opportunity to fulfill one of our most important mandates: to increase awareness about congenital heart defects or heart diseases, as well as about living a heart-healthy life. For one week children will participate in different activities to learn and appreciate their "good hearts". Schools that have participated in these events in past years see this as an excellent cause as well as an opportunity for learning.

Heart Week also serves to collect funds - our 2^nd mandate - to enable the MCH's Pediatric Cardiology department to purchase invaluable equipment. As part of the activities during Heart Week, on "Red Day", students with healthy hearts are invited to bring a small donation and in exchange they can wear a red garment to show their friendship towards children with more fragile hearts.

Our objective for the coming years is to increase the number of participating schools as well as to have corporations get involved, thus not only increasing the number of students involved in celebrating "Red Day", but also to increase awareness among the adult population too.

Heart Week’s official launch will take place on February 12 at Roslyn School (in Westmount) with the presence of surprise sports celebrities (stay tuned for our next press release for their names) and of course the Children’s mascot: Caramel. Children who have gone through open heart surgery at the MCH will be present along with cardiologists to answer questions and be photographed. This year, two former patients will be honoured and serve as our official spokespeople.

For all additional information about the Heart of Life Fund or these events, please do not hesitate to contact us.

THE HEART OF LIFE FUND
c/o The Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation

1, Place Alexis Nihon, 3400 boul. de Maisonneuve ouest,
Bureau 1420,
Montreal, Quebec,
H3Z 3B8

Tel: (514) 981-5544
Fax: (514) 931-3232
E-mail:
[email protected] [1]
www.heartoflife.ca [2]