Boy's fundraising benefits charity, school

Among this year's young champions in the annual round of Jump Rope for Heart fundraisers is a 9-year-old Horace Mann Laboratory School fourth-grader named Ethan Payne.

Every year during the annual exercise-themed fundraiser for the National Heart Association, Ethan, who is in his fourth year of participation, raises several hundred dollars to aid in the fight against heart disease and stroke.

During the recently concluded 2012 drive, he collected more than $500, bringing his three-year total to well over $1000.

But that's just part of the story.

Because Horace Mann is such a small school − there are only about 100 students − with a correspondingly small physical education budget, Jump Rope for Heart premiums cover a significant portion of the yearly cost of gym and playground gear, everything from basketballs and jump ropes to a rock-climbing wall.

Since Ethan is such a consistent, and productive, fundraiser, his contributions not only help battle heart disease, they play a role in ensuring that his classmates have the equipment they need to play hard, get fit and stay healthy.

Ethan's PE teacher, Gina McNeese, said the approximately $4,000 in donations raised this year by about 50 Jump Rope for Heart students will provide Horace Mann with between $200 and $300 worth of playground gear donated by US Games, a major athletics supply company and longtime Heart Association sponsor.

"It's a major financial plus for our school," McNeese said. "I would say a good half of our equipment has come from Jump Rope for Heart."

As a special thank-you, McNeese buys a "heart healthy" submarine sandwich lunch for the Horace Mann class that brings in the most money for Jump Rope for Heart. It is not a coincidence that the free meal has gone to Ethan's class in each of the past four years.

So what is Ethan's secret in piling up donations for the Heart Association? Well, more than likely, hard work and persistence. But he modestly credits his success to geography.

"I live in a big neighborhood," he said.

Aside from new stuff to play with in the gym and at recess, Ethan and other Jump Rope for Heart kids at Horace Mann receive another perk as well. Each child who raises more than $100 during the drive gets a tour of the Kansas City Chiefs training lab at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Now that's something to jump up and down about.