Our Mission
Create a nurturing environment for children with heart conditions by enabling them to play sports as part of a team.
Play Your Heart Out Foundation
Kids guiding kids with heart disease to play sports, despite their condition. Encouraging high school kids to take a leadership role in helping others to fulfill that dream of being a child with no limitations. We know we all have dreams and we want to help them realize some of those dreams, even if it’s just sitting with a team on the bench, running the bases for your team or just swinging a bat for the first time while your team cheers you.
Being part of a team allows kids to feel what it’s like to think of others, to think beyond their illness and feel as they are contributing to something bigger. It allows them the chance to be a child and to interact and engage with others their same age. It allows them to see that a game is much like life, plenty of ups and downs but it’s the people around you who help you through and celebrate with you.
Danny's Story
The foundation started in 2016 and is dedicated to Danny Jones, a young man who loved baseball. He loved to watch it and to talk about it. Danny eventually was able to play with the University Little League in Fort Worth, TX. He played with a team, was able to bat, ran the bases and he celebrated. And he did all this while awaiting a heart transplant. Danny was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and had had his three surgeries and many more to try and correct it, but still had a failing heart. His love and his passion let him play baseball with a team. His mother was with him every step of the way as he fulfilled his dream. His team mates and their families learned what passion was all about and realized that Danny would forever be in their hearts and lives.
Board of Directors
Amir Ashrafi, MD, Medical Director CHOC neonatal cardiac unit
Rebekah Jones, RN (Danny’s mom)
Shazia Bhombal, MD, Director of the neonatal cardiac team, Stanford
Robb Catalano, Tarrant County Judge
Crystal Flores, RN, NP-AC
Brittney Collins, MSW
Executive Committee
Samuel Levy
Jay Trevedi
Paul Braymen
Marina Prince
Kade Catalano