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Hillel Raises Money For Heart Health; King To Say Thanks

Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

Krav Maga master instructor Steve Del Castillo, bottom, and assistant Shane Stephens of Premier Martial Arts demonstrate self-defense techniques during a Nov. 21 fundraiser for the Larry King Foundation at Hillel School of Tampa.

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 21, 2008

Updated: 11/21/2008 12:26 pm

TAMPA - TAMPA Children at Hillel School ran, stretched and even got their hair cut in the name of healthy hearts this morning.

They'll get a big, personal "thank you" later from CNN broadcaster Larry King.

Hillel, a private Jewish school on Fletcher Avenue, is placing a yearlong emphasis on heart health, combining educating students on steps they can take and fundraisers for the Larry King Cardiac Foundation.

The foundation pays for heart screenings, treatments and surgeries for patients who do not have adequate insurance. The Hillel efforts will go toward a local patient.

That patient, unnamed for now, and King will visit Hillel in February to thank the students. The school had raised almost $5,000 as of today and expects to bring in more with classroom fundraisers. When students have finished raising money, the foundation and Pepin Heart Hospital will match the donations to a patient's needs.

"I think it's pretty cool, because we get to meet a person who we helped make money for," said Marielle Smith, a third-grader at Hillel.

King established his cardiac foundation in 1988 after surviving a quintuple bypass surgery the previous year. His son Larry King Jr. serves as the foundation's president and lives in Tampa.

His three children attend Hillel.

"It's fun for me, because I'm able to help my father and have his grandchildren participate," Larry King Jr. said.

King high-fived students as they ran laps around the school field. Students had collected pledges for donations in exchange for running and walking for an hour. Pedometers clipped to their T-shirts tracked their steps.

Parents could earmark donations for Hillel and the foundation. Other efforts directly benefited the cardiac cause. At the beginning of the school year, students got piggybanks to take home. When the banks fill up, they pour the money into a jug at Hillel.

The school today also sold hot chocolate and used books. The Paul Mitchell School donated haircuts, and families paid $5 for children's haircuts and $10 for adults, with proceeds going to the foundation.

Classes on aerobics, Pilates and martial arts showed students ways they could keep their hearts healthy. Pepin Heart Hospital also provided cholesterol and BMI checks, and doctors and nurses held sessions on finding healthy food options at the grocery store and on learning to love your body.

Larry King will appear as a guest of honor at a $100-per-plate brunch Feb. 22 that benefits the foundation. The brunch is open to the community.

For information, see www.fromthehearttampa.com.

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503.

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