WESLEY CHAPEL – Luiza Guryeva created an Active Hearts Association chapter in Florida this summer to help people in the community.
Guryeva, a senior at Wesley Chapel High School, said the youth-led organization empowers “students to create lasting, meaningful change in their communities by leading impactful healthcare support initiatives.”
She is the executive of Florida AHA, which has chapters across the state, including Wesley Chapel High School, Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation and The School of Advanced Studies in Miami. She leads a coalition of more than 100 students.
The chapter she founded was the first in the United States, Guryeva said.
Active Hearts has chapters in Almaty, Kazakhstan – the founding chapter – Astana, Kazakhstan and Boston, Massachusetts. Plans are in the works to open new chapters in Shanghai and Bangkok, Guryeva said.
The Active Hearts Association in all chapters across the world is a medical hub providing opportunities for healthcare enthusiasts and fundraising for hospitalized children, according to its website.
“I was drawn to the ethical and financial challenges within the healthcare industry and sought to create opportunities for meaningful community service for students, fostering greater hope for patients,” Guryeva said about why she started Florida’s AHA chapter.
She formed the new chapter in Kazakhstan alongside her former classmates, Mereyli Baisariyeva and Almansur Samat, the founders.
Luiza moved to the United States only three years ago from Kazakhstan.
After graduating from Wesley Chapel High School next year, she plans to study business with a focus on finance, management and economics. She aims to use her education to create meaningful change in healthcare management and policy, particularly in addressing the influence of private equity firms.
Recently, Active Hearts Association prepared more than 300 “get well soon” cards that were delivered to patients in hospitals such as AdventHealth and Pruitt Health in Lutz.
Each card was handmade with a handwritten message of encouragement inside, Guryeva said. This effort was intended to reduce feelings of loneliness and ensure recipients felt the personal touch and thoughtfulness behind each card, rather than receiving something mass-produced or printed by a computer, she added.
She personally took the cards to the hospitals and left them with the director of volunteers who distributed them to patients.
At Pruitt Health, Luiza was able to organize a hospital visit for members of Active Hearts Association. They donated the cards and were given a tour of the hospital.
In addition, Active Hearts Association members are organizing a talent show for nursing home residents, collecting Christmas cards for AdventHealth’s patients and developing wellness packets for women in Bangladesh.
Guryeva expressed hope that more high schools across Florida will establish Active Hearts Association chapters within their communities.
Email or follow @activeheartsflorida and @activeheartsassociation on Instagram for details on how to open a chapter.
