Callie Banks was an avid volleyball player competing at the Club Level as well as on the Allen High School volleyball team. On September 21, 2010, while playing in a high school volleyball game, Callie collapsed on the court and had no pulse. Luckily, there was a physician, two trauma nurses, and an off-duty EMT/firefighter among the spectators. CPR was started within seconds and an AED was applied twice by
Charles “Bryce” Deegear, a 16-year-old boy from Aledo, Texas, has always been an active boy. Bryce started playing tee ball at the age of seven and he later moved onto playing football and soccer. At Bryce’s first tee ball practice, his parents noticed signs that something was not right with their son. At practice, he got his first hit and ran to first base, then slowly to second base, and
During the summer of 2018, we had the privilege of having Joyce join the Living for Zachary team as a summer intern. “By interning for Living for Zachary, I gained a better understanding of what it takes to run a successful non-profit. I love the organization’s mission, and I was fortunate to help them make a difference in the lives of Texas youth this past summer” says Joyce. Joyce decided
Trevor Hunter is a 13-year-old boy who plays football, basketball, baseball, and runs track. Trevor is the youngest of three children to David and Kathy Hunter. David Hunter has worked for Medtronic for more than 20 years and has previously served on the HeartBeats Gala Planning Committee. David and Kathy have both attended the Living for Zachary HeartBeats Gala for many years now and have been involved with Living for
Zachary Richard Swirczynski was a friend to all and dedicated to excellence in academics and athletics. Zach was born to Dale (Bubba) and Jill Mollenkopf Swirczynski on October 4, 1988 in Muenster, Texas. Zach proudly watched over his sisters Tara and Hillary with his trademark smirking smile, goofy outgoing personality and bright blue eyes. From an early age, it was evident that although a momma’s boy, Zach had inherited
How can nonprofits thrive and succeed? Well by the constant support that the community gives them! We are extremely grateful for organizations like Cloud 9 Charities Inc., who are constantly making an impact in our community! We recently were given a generous donation from Cloud 9 Charities to continue with our mission in their community. Cloud 9 Charities Inc. was created by Kim Cloud in 2004 in North Texas. Kim
North Texas Giving Day is coming up and we want to make sure you know where to donate! Our mission is as follows: “Living for Zachary is dedicated to raising awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in youth and saving lives through community education and awareness events, promoting youth heart screenings, awarding student scholarships and donating Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to youth-based organizations.” With this, we share with you three different stories
Every year we award academic scholarships to high school seniors in the Collin County area. We are always thrilled to hear success stories of past scholarship recipients! This month we bring you Madison Hansen’s story. Madison Hansen graduated from Plano East Senior High School in June 2012. Her senior year, she was one of eleven students awarded the Living for Zachary Academic Scholarship. Madison’s interest in the medical field began
100 Men Who Give A Damn Frisco is a group of 100 men who want to give back to their local community. Their process is simple: 100 Men, 1 Hour, 1 Charity, Extraordinary Impact. These men meet together quarterly for one hour, three charities from the community come and share their mission, and after choosing one of the three organizations, every single one of the men write a $100 check
It’s close to the end of summer and that means the beginning of school is right around the corner! Getting ready for back to school can be pretty daunting to parents because of the long to-do list. One thing that should be on your list that we help make easier is a free youth heart screening! Just like any yearly physical, a heart screening is just as important to have.
