Celebrating the Voices of Kentucky’s Heart Health Advocates

This February, we had the honor of joining Governor Andy Beshear and Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman for our annual proclamation signing, a moment made even more special by celebrating those who have gone above and beyond in advancing the mission of the American Heart Association.

A heartfelt thank you goes to our incredible honorees for their unwavering dedication:

Kimberly Moser (Kentucky State Representative) received the Legislative Excellence Award for her championing of legislation surrounding Cardiac Emergency Response Plans in schools, a critical step toward saving lives.

The Mangine Family (Matthew Mangine Jr. “One Shot” Foundation) was recognized as Policy Advocates of the Year for their continued advocacy and support in advancing policies to improve the health of Kentuckians in honor of their son, Matthew Mangine, Jr., who tragically lost his life after experiencing cardiac arrest during soccer practice in 2020.
Griffin Nemeth (ICANendthetrend) was honored with the Youth Policy Innovator Award for his efforts to educate youth about the dangers of nicotine and e-cigarette use. Griffin’s work through the ICANendthetrend initiative connects younger generations with college facilitators to end the trend of tobacco and e-cigarette use through engaging, peer-to-peer education.

Mallory Jones (Miss Kentucky’s Teen) was awarded the Grassroots Advocate Award for her tireless work in advancing cardiac health initiatives in Kentucky schools. Mallory helped successfully advocate for House Bills 331 and 169, which expand access to AEDs and emergency cardiac care in schools. She also helped secure $2.5 million in funding for these efforts.Alexis Loveless (Sacred Heart Academy) was the recipient of the Youth Advocacy Champion Award for her mission to ensure all schools have Cardiac Emergency Response Plans in place. After surviving a cardiac event herself, Alexis has worked at both the state and national levels to ensure that schools are equipped with the proper training and lifesaving devices, such as AEDs.

Stephanie Kuzydym (Courier Journal) was honored with the Media Impact Award for her groundbreaking investigative project Safer Sidelines. This project shed light on sudden death in sports and the importance of life-saving protocols. Stephanie’s empathetic storytelling provided a voice to the families impacted by these tragedies, inspiring communities to take action.

LEX-18 (Media Sponsor) was recognized with the Public Health Communicator Award for their continued media support, including impactful PSAs and extensive coverage of the AHA’s life-saving work in Central and Eastern Kentucky.

A special thank you goes to Berkley and Lennox Frey, congenital heart defect survivors from Boyle County, who created and presented artwork to our award winners.

We are deeply grateful to all of these individuals for their hard work and commitment to improving the heart health and safety of Kentuckians. Thank you for being the heart and soul of this movement!