American Heart Association
In furtherance of the mission to strengthen the mind, body, and spirit of children and communities, PARC Foundation is committed to support American Heart Association fundraising efforts. The mission of the American Heart Association is “Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.” Together, the AHA and PARC Foundation have teamed up on two initiatives, Hands Only CPR and the Start!SM Walking.
Hands Only CPR
The American Heart Association has made CPR even easier so anyone can help save a life. The AHA’s research shows that when cardiac arrest strikes, many times people are too scared to do anything. They are afraid they might hurt the victim or that they don’t know what to do. The AHA has teamed up with PARC Foundation and PARC Management parks to raise funds to get more people trained in CPR. Hands only CPR is CPR with just chest compressions and has been proven to be as effective as CPR with chest compressions and breathing. To promote this cause each of the PARC Management parks will asking guests if they would like to donate $1 or round up their ticket price during their purchase. Park guests can contribute to this campaign from May 26th – July 3rd.
www.handsonlycpr.org
Start!SM Walking Initiative
Start!SM Walking initiative, started with the goal of having a positive impact on one of the most serious issues facing the youth of America – childhood obesity. The Start!SM Walking initiative was designed to promote physical activity and heart-healthy living, in an environment that’s fun for the whole family. The partnership with PARC Foundation allows AHA to promote its healthy lifestyle messaging and efforts to make healthier choices in a fun way to millions of families throughout the US.
Lively family activities, like spending a day or making it a habit to visit location based entertainment sites such as theme or water park, helps the AHA achieve its goal of reducing physical inactivity. To further this cause, each of the PARC Management parks will be introducing the Start!SM program with individualized messaging that helps educate guests on the benefits of healthy and active lifestyle and choices. Just as each community is unique, each park has taken a customized approach. Some parks have measured the number of steps to the top of their tallest rides whereas others have calculated the distance between two popular rides. The special messaging will be posted within the park and will help explain the exercise that has taken place. To fully integrate the program and promote healthier lifestyles, the parks will also be highlighting the healthy food offerings in their restaurants and kiosks to make it easier for guests to make healthier choices. www.startwalkingnow.org