The Calgary Stampeders are pleased to partner with the Heart and Stroke Foundation with the Heart & Stroke Jump Rope for Heart program.

Along with representatives of the Heart & Stroke Foundation, Stampeders offensive lineman Spencer Wilson visits select Calgary schools to join in the fun as elementary-aged students are encouraged to become active by learning skipping tricks. The students are also be taught the importance of nutrition.

“I’m honoured to be asked to participate in the Jump Rope for Heart program,” said Wilson. “It’s a blast for the kids and myself and I know there is a very important message behind the fun.”

“For more than 30 years, Jump Rope for Heart has been encouraging kids to get active by skipping rope while they collect pledges for heart disease and stroke research,” said Jenn McGlashan, Director, Community Engagement at the Heart and Stroke Foundation. “They also learn about social responsibility by collecting pledges that support heart and stroke research. We’re so pleased to team up with the Spencer Wilson and the Stampeders and we know the kids are, too.”

The Jump program gives children the chance to jump and play alongside 750,000 other kids in more than 4,000 schools across Canada. Over the past eight years, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has invested nearly $3 million in strategic research focused on physical activity and exercise in children and youth.

Every seven minutes, someone in Canada dies from heart disease or stroke, so the Heart and Stroke Foundation develops strategies and programs such as Jump Rope for Heart to encourage young people to embrace a healthy lifestyle.