The Janet Fund Youth Sports AED Initiative ‘Keep Your Heart in the Game’

Making Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)

Available at Youth Sports and Playing Fields

Keep Your Heart in the Game is The Janet Fund's newest life-saving campaign aimed at protecting New Jersey youth from Sudden Cardiac Arrest. The campaign kicks off in September- National Preparedness month and continues throughout October-Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month. Keep Your Heart in the Game targets youth sports programs that are run through township recreation programs or independent sports leagues (such as Little League, PAL, Pop Warner, etc) and is sponsored in part by The Allergan Foundation and Bergen County Charity Classic.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating often with little or no warning. As a result, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. Death is imminent if not treated within minutes. An AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is a device that shocks the heart back into normal rhythm and is key to survival.

It is estimated that between 7,000 and 10,000 children die each year from SCA. SCA is the leading cause of death in youth and teens during exercise and the leading cause of death on school property. Since 2006, approximately 74 cases of SCA in youth have been reported in New Jersey. 50 of these children lost their lives and 24 survived. The improved survival rate in NJ is largely due to Janet’s Law which requires AEDs in NJ schools and school sponsored events including athletics.

Interesting in having an AED donated to your Youth Sports Organization? Complete a grant application today available on our website www.thejanetfund.org. Completed grants can be emailed to info@janetzilinski.org or mailed to The Janet Fund, PO Box 150, Martinsville, NJ 08836. Contact us at 732-805-0013 with questions.