Five students and five schools have been awarded special incentive prizes through a collaboration between the American Heart Association and the National Football League (NFL) Foundation aimed at encouraging young people to learn Hands-Only CPR. The prizes were part of a drawing for students who participated in the Association's in-school programs, Kids Heart Challenge™ and American Heart Challenge™, during the 2025-26 school year and completed Hands-Only CPR training. The initiative underscores the critical importance of bystander CPR in saving lives from cardiac arrest.
Each of the five students received two tickets to Super Bowl LXI, which will take place on Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The winning students are Finley of Tonawanda, New York; Amelia of Parma, Ohio; Nicolas of Doral, Florida; Sophia of Rio Rancho, New Mexico; and Mark of Mesa, Arizona. Additionally, five schools were awarded $10,000 each for a physical activity equipment makeover: Chancellor Elementary School in Fredericksburg, Virginia; Lincoln K-8 in Rochester, Minnesota; Watertown Elementary in Watertown, Tennessee; Commonwealth Elementary in Sugar Land, Texas; and Olita Elementary in La Habra, California.
The American Heart Association, a global leader in resuscitation science, emphasizes that CPR education is vital because more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States each year, with 70% happening at home. According to the Association, 9 out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital die, often because they do not receive immediate CPR. Immediate CPR can double or triple a person's chance of survival. "Every student who learns Hands-Only CPR represents another potential lifesaver in their home, school or community," said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. "The NFL's unparalleled reach into communities across the country helps us bring lifesaving CPR education directly to students where they learn and play."
The NFL's support includes an introduction video by Damar Hamlin, Buffalo Bills safety and cardiac arrest survivor, who shares that CPR saved his life and encourages kids to learn the skill. The NFL Foundation has renewed its commitment for the 2026-27 school year, offering five students tickets to Super Bowl LXII on Feb. 1, 2028, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, and five schools $10,000 fitness equipment makeovers. Parents and school administrators can visit heart.org/jointhechallenge to learn how students can participate. The Association encourages everyone to join the Nation of Lifesavers initiative and take 90 seconds to learn CPR at www.heart.org/nation. For more information on CPR guidelines, visit the official guidelines for CPR. To learn more about the American Heart Association, visit heart.org or heart.org.
