The organization Young Hearts 4 Life visited our boys campus recently to provide free heart screenings for all of our young men and women, including those in our Friends First mentoring and AfterCare programs. Young Hearts 4 Life tested around 60 of our young people. DeJohn, pictured above, was so excited to be tested that he even requested his whole experience be documented.
Young Hearts 4 Life provides electrocardiograms on young adults all over Chicagoland to detect possible cardiac conditions that could put them at risk for a cardiac catastrophe, such as fainting or even sudden cardiac death. Volunteers are trained to administer ECGs and then the results are read by the founder and Medical Director of the organization, Dr. Joe Marek.
This event was sponsored by the organization’s Junior Board, which is made up of high school students. After holding a fundraising run, these board members had the opportunity to vote on where they would like to spend the funds raised. They chose Mercy Home for Boys & Girls. Many of the board members came to the event to volunteer, along with Dr. Marek’s family, including his wife Kathy, and kids Jim, Sarah, and Jeff.
Of course, this isn’t the Marek family’s first encounter with Mercy Home. Dr. Marek heard Fr. Close speak nearly 30 years ago and has been donating to our mission ever since.
Dr. Marek said that he hoped Young Hearts 4 Life could return to Mercy Home on a regular basis.
“If they find this worthwhile, we’ll come back every year,” he said. “[The kids at Mercy Home] deserve the same level of opportunity, that’s why Mercy Home exists.”
We would like to give a huge thank you to Young Hearts 4 Life for donating their time and resources to make sure our kids stay healthy! We would also like to thank J4 Jumping Beans for donating the medical drapes for the event.
The organization Young Hearts 4 Life visited our boys campus recently to provide free heart screenings for all of our young men and women, including those in our Friends First mentoring and AfterCare programs. Young Hearts 4 Life tested around 60 of our young people. DeJohn, pictured above, was so excited to be tested that he even requested his whole experience be documented.
Young Hearts 4 Life provides electrocardiograms on young adults all over Chicagoland to detect possible cardiac conditions that could put them at risk for a cardiac catastrophe, such as fainting or even sudden cardiac death. Volunteers are trained to administer ECGs and then the results are read by the founder and Medical Director of the organization, Dr. Joe Marek.
Of course, this isn’t the Marek family’s first encounter with Mercy Home. Dr. Marek heard Fr. Close speak nearly 30 years ago and has been donating to our mission ever since.
Dr. Marek said that he hoped Young Hearts 4 Life could return to Mercy Home on a regular basis.
“If they find this worthwhile, we’ll come back every year,” he said. “[The kids at Mercy Home] deserve the same level of opportunity, that’s why Mercy Home exists.”
We would like to give a huge thank you to Young Hearts 4 Life for donating their time and resources to make sure our kids stay healthy! We would also like to thank J4 Jumping Beans for donating the medical drapes for the event.