WESTHAMPTON — A room full of classmates, sweet treats and a large, helium heart balloon — this was the surprise Hampshire Regional High School sophomore Maya Rudnitsky walked into thanks to her efforts raising hundreds of dollars for people with heart conditions.
“Maya and some of her friends have been raising money for the American Heart Association to help support the community here in western Massachusetts,” said Sabrina Webb, the region’s American Heart Association development director, holding a balloon and award. “Maya is actually our central and western Massachusetts team of impact.”
Rudnitsky was surprised by her friends, parents and sister walking into the school and finding out that she had won the region’s Teen of Impact award this year. The award is given by the American Heart Foundation to the teenager who raises the most money to support the foundation during a nine-week campaign in many regions across the country.
Rudnitsky was one of five participants from Hampshire Regional and raised $1,400 on her own.
“From the bottom of our hearts we’d like to thank you,” Webb said to Rudnitsky. “You did some tremendous work and we’re very grateful for what you did and the other amazing students.”
According to The American Heart Association’s website, the organization was founded in 1924 and has since invested more than $6 billion in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular research. While going through the foundation’s campaign helped bolster Rudnitsky’s knowledge in the medical field, her interest in medicine was always inherent.
“I’ve always been interested in doing something medicine-related and always thought that CPR was just such an important skill for everyone to have,” Rudnitsky said.
Rudnitsky jumped at an opportunity after Hampshire Regional announced it would help students join the Harvard University CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) Ambassador program, which teaches students hands-on CPR and other related skills.
After the program, where Rudnitsky earned the title of ambassador along with several other peers at Hampshire Regional, they started the new “Heart Club” at their school to teach other students what they had learned.
“The other ambassadors from my school, we collaborated with the nurses and decided to start the Heart Club because it was a way to share what we learned,” Rudnitsky said.
Rudnitsky said the program expanded her interest in CPR and medical training, leading her to advocate to legislators on Beacon Hill for a set of bills that, if passed, would make CPR a graduation requirement in Massachusetts.
The bill, S.2863 along with sister bills, would require each school district in the state to provide CPR and defibrillator use instruction as part of its physical or health education for high schools.
“We went to the State House and we basically just knocked on representatives doors, legislators doors,” Rudnitsky said. “Massachusetts is one out of nine states in America that does not require CPR as a graduation requirement, and that’s weird.”
The bill is currently being reviewed by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and Rudnitsky said she will continue the work that she and her peers have started.
“I know that Maya has been very passionate about this mission and especially with the CPR work that she has done in her community, which saves lives — It’s incredible,” Webb said.
