February is recognized as Heart Disease Awareness Month: a time to focus on health, education, and advocacy. While the month highlights heart disease broadly, one area that deserves particular attention is congenital heart disease (CHD), the most common birth defect in the United States, affecting about 1 in every 100 births annually.
CHD refers to structural abnormalities of the heart that are present at birth. These conditions vary severely, with some requiring little to no intervention and others demanding multiple intensive surgeries and lifelong care. Advances in medicine have dramatically improved survival rates and quality of life for individuals with CHD. Still, the area of research is largely underfunded and further spreading of awareness is essential.
Even here at Lockport, students are finding creative ways to take action. For example, during the month of February, the Sign Language Club sold candy grams to raise funds for CHD research and support, highlighting how students are showing initiative to spread awareness.
Many Lockport students are also involved with Leading with Heart, a student leadership initiative supported by the Chicago-based A Giving Heart Foundation. The program empowers students to organize initiatives, raise money, and advocate for awareness in their communities.
At their most recent meeting, which was held at LTHS, Caitlyn Vroom, a senior at LTHS and a teaching assistant on Leading with Heart’s student leadership team, shared,
“Leading with Heart has allowed me to grow so much as a leader. From the moment that I began this program to now, I have seen so much exponential growth in myself and in my peers around me. Leading with Heart has been a great avenue to learn more about a cause I feel so passionately about, and I’m glad to see so many faces from Lockport here learning this as well.”
Rather than remaining passive bystanders, students are choosing to make a difference on issues that affect communities nationwide. By organizing initiatives and spreading information, they are contributing to a more informed and empathetic school environment.
So what can students do to make a difference? Start by learning the facts about congenital heart disease and sharing them with others. Participate in a school or community event that raises awareness or funds to support research. Take steps like organizing peer discussions, fundraising campaigns, or donating to groups like A Giving Heart Foundation. Every action, every voice matters and when students act together, they can create meaningful change that extends far beyond a single month.
If you’d like to learn more about A Giving Heart Foundation and how you can be involved in next year’s class of Leading With Heart, or if you simply want to donate to the cause, you can do so on their website, https://aghf.org/.
Congenital heart disease awareness is not solely about sympathy — it is about responsibility, education, and action. This February, our school has taken the chance to truly lead with heart, turning awareness into tangible support for those who need it most.
