Bob Graham civic students lobby Florida legislators at state capitol

Bob Graham Education Center’s Civic Engagement Academy Policy Making Committee traveled to the state’s Capitol in Tallahassee, where the students presented their Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act proposal in hopes of lobbying lawmakers to enact a law to raise awareness of the risks of SCA due to undetected heart conditions. The group’s project was inspired by the sudden death of 11-year-old Breanna Vergara, who died after she collapsed during dance practice in 2014. She had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which can be detected by an EKG and cured. The students met with Senator Rene Garcia, State Representative Manny Diaz Jr., and other state lawmakers, along with Miami Lakes Councilmember Frank Mingo in their effort to help stop sudden cardiac arrest.