Gwinnett Braves Award Grant to Collins Hill High PTSA

The 2007 death of a Collins Hill High football player has prompted the Gwinnett Braves to donate $1,000 to the Suwanee school's PTSA.

The grant, which the G-Braves do monthly, is done to help prevent Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD), stemming from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) or an enlarged heart in student-athletes, according to a G-Braves news release.

In 2007, the Collins Hill community suffered a tragic loss when freshman Terrell Wilson died suddenly of an undetected aortic dissection of the heart. After the unnecessary death, the high school’s PTSA teamed up with Heart Screens for Teens, an organization dedicated to preventing death from HCM, the news release said. The $1,000 donation through the grant program will enable 15 student-athletes to be tested.

Carol Ranft, president of the Collins Hill High School Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA), wants parents to have the opportunity for proper and affordable testing for their children. Ranft is actively promoting awareness throughout the community.

 “We want to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children,” Ranft said in the news release. “Many other High School PTSA’s are now offering similar screenings.”