Tennessee AHPERD Joint Projects Update
Michael Vaughn, TAHPERD JRFH/HFH State Coordinator

As the Tennessee Joint Projects Coordinator, I am proud of our Tennessee schools.  Over the past four years, we have increased our Jump Rope For Heart and Hoops For Heart giving by almost $600,000.  As a result, our schools received vouchers for more than $80,000 in physical education equipment in 2007.  Our JRFH and HFH coordinators are enthusiastic and innovative.  Our goal over the last couple of years has been to increase the number of contributors at each school that is currently participating in an event.  We have done this by encouraging our coordinators to develop a couple of simple incentives for classroom giving and participation.  These various incentives have been crucial to the continued increase in giving across the state especially in light of the fact that the number of schools participating in Joint Project events in Tennessee have not increased in three years.

I am especially proud of the Murfreesboro City Schools system in which I have taught for 17 years.  In 2006-2007, out of 11 schools, we had 100% participation in JRFH and HFH events, and raised more than $54,000.  Erma Siegel Elementary School raised almost $18,000 in a combined JRFH and HFH event.  This total ranked them 19th in the nation for combined events.  Murfreesboro lies within Rutherford County.  We partner with the Rutherford County Schools who raised a total of almost $90,000.  When combined, 61% of the 54 schools in the two systems raised almost 10% of the total money raised in Tennessee.  Because of the willingness of the Directors of Schools of these two school system to allow these events and the passion of the school coordinators to provide heart healthy education, the JRFH and HFH events have directly impacted our community.

We want the Murfreesboro City Schools and Rutherford County Schools of Tennessee to be an encouragement to all of the United States.  School participation is crucial to the fight against heart disease and stroke.  Each year new break throughs in heart care are developed as a result of the millions raised through Joint Projects events.