St. Francis Xavier honors alumna with fundraiser

KEARNS — At St. Francis Xavier School in Kearns, red shirts are not part of the uniform, yet on Sept. 16, the weekly prayer assembly was awash with hundreds of red T-shirts of all sizes and styles. The students weren’t enjoying a dress-down day. Rather, they were raising awareness and money for the American Heart Association (AHA).

St. Francis Xavier middle school students spent the day in a retreat learning about heart health, the mission of the AHA, and doing service. St. Francis Xavier alumna Jasmine Yu was the inspiration for the retreat. Yu was both a SFX Falcon and an ardent supporter of and spokesperson for the AHA. She promoted the cause of heart health and heart research because she herself was a beneficiary of such research. During her 8th grade year at SFX, she received a heart transplant. Much of the technology used during her surgery was researched and developed by AHA. Though still a young woman when she passed away this past summer, Yu touched the lives of many people with her enthusiasm for life. Her work with the AHA helped raise money and awareness about heart conditions and healthy living.

The SFX middle school faculty, with Yu’s mother and younger brother, planned a day of activity, service and fundraising in her name. According to Yu’s mother, Anna, "Being a part of the planning committee was exciting! … It was a wonderful opportunity to be able to share Jasmine’s life story with the St. Francis family."

Everyone in the school was invited to wear a red T-shirt for a donation of at least $1 to the AHA. eBay, where Yu’s father works, agreed to match the funds raised.

All clad in red, the middle school students spent Friday in service and reflection on various matters of the heart. They met with AHA spokespeople and learned the signs of heart attack and stroke. Later, they made a brochure about heart health for each family in the school.

Finally the fundraising grand total was revealed at prayer assembly. Even with its student body population of less than 300, SFX raised $800. This, matched by eBay, meant that another $1,600 was donated to Jasmine Yu’s AHA fund.

"It was a bittersweet moment to remember [Jasmine’s] passion for life and her passing at a young age," said Anna Yu. "What made it more special for me was having her brother, Jay, as part of the event planning. We both continue to know and love Jasmine more as we talk about her life and her death... and we thank God for sharing Jasmine’s miracle with us for the past 19 years."

Courtesy of Saint Francis Xavier School