By Gari Voss
Logan Vangemert made his way onto the stage at Brandon Elementary School on Friday morning, March 20, 2026, to receive the Heart Saver Award from the American Heart Association. Though this was the regular monthly school-wide assembly, it became a special event when the theme focused on 9-year old Logan and his journey to this moment.
In early February 2026, Logan decided to learn hands-on CPR through the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge program that was offered at Brandon Elementary. The Kids Heart Challenge has been in existence for almost 50 years and focuses on whole body well-being, helping students improve their own health and their character while raising life-saving donations for the American Heart Association to help kids with special hearts.
Each site requires a “director”. At Brandon Elementary, Sydney VanDyke, the K-8th grade physical education teacher, assumed the leadership role and organized the training sessions.
During the training, the children involved in the program worked with VanDyke who engaged them in educational modules. One of the modules involved hands only CPR. It was this module that was key to Logan’s award.
One day after watching the hands-only CPR video, Logan was in the children’s room at his church when the supervisor, Tom, fell onto the floor from sudden cardiac arrest. Tom’s wife, Beth, began to perform hands-only CPR but froze. Logan stepped forward and performed hands-only CPR for several minutes with other adults until an AED (automated external defibrillator) was located and used to restart Tom’s heart.
Tom has made a full recovery after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery and having a pacemaker installed. He was released from the hospital in late February and is recovering at home.
The Kids Heart Challenge (KHC) program director, Sydney VanDyke, told the KHC Development Director in West Michigan, Jason Kane, of Logan’s heroics. Kane took the information and began making the arrangements for the presentation of the Heart Saver Award from the American Heart Association.
Thus, on Friday, March 20, 2026, Logan Vangemert came up on the Brandon Elementary School stage to be recognized for his actions during a cardiac arrest emergency that saved the life of the church school supervisor. As Logan was presented with the Heart Saver Award, Kane, congratulated Logan for not only completing the Kids Heart Challenge program, while thanking him for his quick response in using hands-only CPR to save a life.
February is Heart Month and the American Heart Association encourages all adults and children to learn CPR and join the Nation of Lifesavers. If performed immediately, CPR can double or even triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival. About 90% of people who suffer out-of-hospital arrests die when not given CPR in a matter of minutes. 70% of cardiac arrests occur in the home, so having family and friends trained in CPR is essential.
For mor information on becoming trained in CPR and AED use, go to https://heart-saverinstitute.com/.
