Disney and Points of Light are teaming up to find the first-ever Volunteer Family of the Year! Aidan’s Heart Foundation nominated the Hagelauer Family and now they have advanced to the Top 30 semi-finalists! (See 6ABC Article)
The Hagelauer family embodies Disney and Points of Light’s passion for making the world a better place through their volunteer work at Aidan’s Heart Foundation (AHF). Kelly, (mom) Stephan (dad) of Noah (12 years) and Eloise (15 years) have been involved in AHF since inception.
AHF was formed upon the tragic death of 7-year-old Aidan Silva who died from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in 2010.
The Hagelauer family, particularly Kelly, have been involved in every aspect of AHF’s mission of creating heart-safe communities including fundraising, event planning, CPR/AED training, public speaking, and volunteering at AHF’s free heart screenings. Kelly’s extensive work in mobilizing grassroots organizations spearheaded the campaign to enact “Aidan’s Law.” Over two years of relentless work for this bill pushed Aidan’s Law (Act 35) to the finish line in the Senate in April 2014. This legislation calls for the PA Commonwealth to create a registry of AED’s in public and private schools, including their age and condition and makes AEDs more affordable for all schools.
Kelly, and her late husband Stephan, has instilled a passion for philanthropy and combined it with family togetherness with their children. Noah and Eloise have been instrumental in assisting with CPR/AED training for the past 8 years. Noah initiated training classes and fundraising efforts by teaching his peers CPR/ AED life-saving skills. He has also assisted adults and coaches with this knowledge at all of our training events. Eloise was one of the first fifth-grade kid trainers at the Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center (MC6GC) “Heart Hero Program” which her mom co-created. To date, 5,500 kids at the MC6GC have been trained to save a life. Both Eloise and Noah also volunteer each year at our 5K for Aidan J. held in June each summer and both are CPR certified.
In a cruel twist of fate, Kelly, Eloise and Noah tragically and unexpectedly lost Stephan from Sudden Cardiac Arrest on 5/23/18. Stephan’s joy and dedication for volunteering with his family for Aidan’s Heart was evident to all and Kelly, Eloise and Noah’s mission to protect hearts from Sudden Cardiac Arrest is more profound than ever.
After a nationwide search, and thousands of submissions, one amazing family with a passion for making the world a better place will be chosen as the winner and named the Disney and Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year. Nonprofits and schools around the country have nominated families in their communities who exemplify the power of volunteering together. The Top 30 will be narrowed down to five finalists and the public will get to help choose the winning family by voting in a nationwide online poll.
Tune in to Good Morning America on ABC from Oct. 7 – 11, 2019 to find out who the Top 5 families are!
The winning family will receive a trip to Walt Disney World Resort for a weeklong dream vacation – and will join Disney for a super celebration on Family Volunteer Day, Nov. 23. Plus, the organization or school that nominated the winning family will receive a grant of $10,000 to continue their great work in the community.