Battell Elementary School in Mishawaka is starting a new tradition this year: Hoops for their Hearts. It's all for a good cause

The students collected pledges for the event, going into their piggy banks and fundraising in the community.

Proceeds from the event go to the American Heart Association.

Thursday they took part in several activities, including musical chair lay-ups and shooting hoops to test their basketball skills.

The students even personalized paper hearts writing “in memory of,” “in honor of,” or “I'm a hero because."

Viki Cullen says she hopes this event helps promote a healthy lifestyle early on and shows that there is much more to physical fitness that just running.

“This is the age to set that habit. They need to start the habit of being healthy and eating right, being active,” said Cullen. “So that their hearts and their bodies can be maintained at 45, 50, or 75 years old.”

Their goal is to raise$1,000. They have almost reached that amount. So if you would like to help, the school is accepting donations until next week.