Sunset Mesa Students Raise $44,250 for Heart Challenge
Students at the Albuquerque school set a record fundraising total for the American Heart Association's Kids Heart Challenge.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Philanthropy
Students at Sunset Mesa School raised more than $44,250 for the American Heart Association's Kids Heart Challenge, about $7,000 more than last year and more than any other participating school in New Mexico. Students who raised at least $250 earned the chance to slime Sunset Mesa staff members.
Why it matters
The campaign teaches healthy lifestyle habits, physical activity, helping others, and Hands-Only CPR, and it honored the memory of former student Parker Chanin. The record total reflects growing participation in a program that has reached millions of students nationwide.
Sunset Mesa students raised more than $44,250, roughly $7,000 above last year's total and higher than any other participating New Mexico school. The stub does not specify how the funds will be distributed by the American Heart Association.
The players
Sunset Mesa School
A public elementary school at 3020 Morris St. NE in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which led the state in Kids Heart Challenge fundraising this year.
Melissa Clark
The principal of Sunset Mesa School, who described former student Parker Chanin as kind, generous, and caring.
American Heart Association
A nonprofit organization that has led health information efforts for 100 years and relies on about 35 million volunteers worldwide.
The details
Students raised funds through the school-based Kids Heart Challenge program, and those who reached at least $250 earned the opportunity to slime Sunset Mesa staff members. The school's staff sliming celebration is scheduled for Nov. 6, 2026, at 2:30 p.m.
Timeline
Nov. 6, 2026: Sunset Mesa staff sliming celebration at 2:30 p.m.
Nov. 4, 2026: Report published on record Kids Heart Challenge fundraising
Philanthropy Context
The Kids Heart Challenge, run by the American Heart Association, has helped millions of students nationwide learn Hands-Only CPR and healthy habits through school fundraising. Sunset Mesa's record total places a New Mexico school at the top of that statewide effort.
Families in Albuquerque can support local heart health efforts by sponsoring students in the Kids Heart Challenge at their own schools. Students who reach the $250 threshold earn the chance to slime staff members at Sunset Mesa.
The takeaway
Schools that combine fundraising with hands-on health education, such as Hands-Only CPR training, can turn a donation drive into lasting skills for students. Consider joining or supporting a local Kids Heart Challenge campaign to help spread those lessons.
What happens next
Sunset Mesa School students will hold a staff sliming event on Nov. 6, 2026, at 2:30 p.m.
Further reading
Explore more Albuquerque philanthropy stories to see how local schools and nonprofits raise funds for health causes.
Source note: This article includes information reported by American Heart Association.
