Olivias Heart Project

Olivia’s Heart Project was founded by Corinne Ruiz in memory of her daughter, Olivia Corinne Hoff. Olivia’s Heart Project is a non-profit organization that is focused on striving to save lives by placing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in local schools and providing and encouraging free heart screenings for schools aged children.

Corinne Ruiz has been on a mission to have AEDs installed in schools ever since her daughter, 14-year-old Olivia, suffered sudden cardiac arrest and died. A freshman at Liberty High, Olivia had Long QT Syndrome, a heart disorder that silently kills more than 4,000 children each year in the United States.

Today, Corinne Ruiz honors the memory of her daughter by doing everything in her power to make sure no other young people meet her fate. How? Educate school districts and communities about Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) Programs and the importance of Community Heart Screenings.

We hope to raise money to provide free community heart screenings for children and young adults, ages 12 - 24. Screenings will be voluntary, and offered at no cost.

Prevention by simple heart screening tests have been found to help detect 60% of the heart conditions that lead to Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

Our organization is working to assist with policy that will require youth, especially those involved in athletic programs, to have a thorough family history interview and physical exam to include the EKG and ECHO as a baseline for detection.

The human heart is the most vital organ in the body, yet this is not standard procedure.

In addition to our Community Heart Screening Program, funding is still greatly needed to purchase AEDs for our schools in Kern County.

We ask that as you reflect on your charitable contribution, you remember that by supporting this mission, you are not only supporting our fight to prevent fatal SCA in youth, but you are also helping to save the lives of thousands of youth at risk every year -- because sudden cardiac arrest is responsible for claiming an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 lives of students under 21 years of age, every year in the United States.

Working together, we will Keep Young Hearts Beating!