Racine student Jace Short again earned recognition as a Kids Heart Challenge All-Star, finishing 16th overall in the 2025–26 school year. A soon-to-be sixth grader at Starbuck International K-8 School, Jace raised $2,036.62 for the program during the year. He is the son of Nic and MaryAnn Smith-Zurawski.
Jace has participated in the Kids Heart Challenge for seven years. His sustained involvement and fundraising placed him among the Top-20 participants across the state for the most recent school year.
Last winter Jace experienced a sudden fainting spell at school that led to a cardiac diagnosis. He was diagnosed with Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome, a congenital heart condition present at birth in which an extra electrical pathway connects the heart’s upper and lower chambers, potentially causing a rapid heartbeat.
Jace received treatment at the Heart Herma Institute at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. He underwent a cardiac ablation in January. According to his mother, MaryAnn, a follow-up appointment at the end of February showed encouraging results: the family reported that everything looked great and that the procedure appeared to be successful. MaryAnn said Jace will continue with yearly follow-up appointments, and that he no longer has Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome based on the February evaluation.
Jace’s involvement with the Kids Heart Challenge has personal roots. He was inspired in part by an uncle who is a heart-transplant survivor, and the program has meaning for him and his family. Despite his diagnosis and treatment earlier in the year, Jace continued his fundraising and participation in the AHA program.
His commitment to the Kids Heart Challenge reflects both personal motivation and a longer-term engagement: the story notes he is entering his seventh year with the program.
The American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge is described as a service learning-based fundraising program that partners with elementary, middle and high schools to teach students about healthy living while raising funds to support cardiovascular research and community wellness. The program aims to help students learn lifelong habits and provides opportunities to support children with special hearts.
Program activities and learning objectives include teaching students and families how to keep their heart, body and brain healthy, making smart food choices, the importance of avoiding vaping and tobacco, and the lifesaving skill of Hands-Only CPR. The release emphasizes that the program helps participants feel good while doing good and helps students learn valuable life skills.
Lisa Schweitzer, Wisconsin American Heart Association Senior Development Director for School Engagement, is quoted praising the efforts of participants and volunteers: she highlighted their passion, excitement and willingness to advance the AHA mission, and noted the organization could not carry out its work without them.
Funds raised through the Kids Heart Challenge are used to support community wellness initiatives and to fund research aimed at improving cardiovascular health for all.
The release includes several AHA data points to contextualize the program’s importance:
These figures are presented in the release to underline the public-health context for school-based education and fundraising efforts like the Kids Heart Challenge.
The release directs readers seeking additional information about the Kids Heart Challenge to the American Heart Association’s get-started webpage. For broader information about the American Heart Association, the release includes a standard about-the-AHA statement describing the organization’s mission, role in funding research, advocacy, and resources for cardiovascular health.
Note: Contact details, media contacts, and image credits included in the original release are available through the American Heart Association newsroom and the Kids Heart Challenge web page referenced in the source.