In Oak Park High School’s large tangle of extracurriculars and after-school activities, Heart Club has brought together a tight-knit collective of students enthusiastic about making a difference and helping those in need.
“I wanted to give other students the opportunity to get involved in their community, whether they’re thinking about pursuing a career in healthcare or just want to give back,” junior club president Riya Yarlagadda said. “Heart Club gives students the chance to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, understand the challenges others face and develop a stronger sense of empathy and community.”
The OPHS Heart Club is the school’s student-led chapter of the American Heart Association, a nonprofit that funds cardiovascular medical research and educates people on how to live healthier, more sustainable and disease-free lives. The Heart Association has been fighting against heart disease and strokes for over 100 years now.
Evidently, the Heart Club’s commitment to the same basic principles is not much different.
“At Heart Club, each member is committed to our four pillars of leadership, impact, fundraising, and wellbeing,” Yarlagadda said. “Each member has to complete at least one activity over the course of the school year. Our recent toy drive with CHLA, for example, falls under the impact pillar.”
Yarlagadda aims to expand the Heart Club’s reach through a plethora of small charity events focused on raising money and increasing awareness for local, national and global health causes.
“Last year we had our first big event, which was our card drive for the UCLA West Valley Medical Center,” Yarlagadda said. “Our club members made over one hundred thank-you cards, which were donated to cardiac surgeons and nurses at the hospital. Hearing back from the staff and knowing they appreciated the cards made our efforts feel really meaningful.”
Following the success of last year’s card drive, Heart Club has quickly shifted its attention towards a toy drive in partnership with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. With notions of raising awareness and helping families in need pervading the ethos of the Heart Association at large, Heart Club is truly trying to expand its outreach in only the best ways it possibly can.
“The toys we collect in this drive will go toward comforting the children at CHLA undergoing treatment, as well as their families,” Yarlagadda said. “So far, we’ve received Barbies, LEGO sets, bubbles and lots of other fun toys. We’re really grateful for all of the support and excited to see even more donations come in.”
Like its larger, nationwide counterpart, however, conducting any sort of research or charity for those battling cardiovascular diseases is quite the team effort. In line with this, Heart Club has sought additional support from other student-led groups on OPHS campus.
“We’ve reached out to the National Honor Society so their members could join our drive,” Yarlagadda said. “With more students helping out, we can provide more toys and support for the children at CHLA.”
Through the exchange of monster trucks and old storybooks to sick children a county over, Heart Club hopes to encourage the greater student body to not only participate in the group’s own activities, but to get out there and truly make a difference of one’s own.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be able to introduce these sorts of opportunities to our peers and make a real difference in people’s lives,” Yarlagadda said. “We’re so thankful for anyone who’s involved with the club in any way.”
