A Heart for Change: Reviving Cardiovascular Health Awareness Across Communities

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Alina Yang. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

Alina Yang is rewriting the script on heart disease prevention—starting with the next generation. As the founder and CEO of Guardians of the Heart, a youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Alina has turned personal loss into a mission of national impact. After losing several loved ones to heart conditions, she committed herself to changing the narrative around cardiovascular health, focusing on prevention rather than treatment. What began as a school-based CPR initiative has grown into a multi-state movement that brings heart health education and resources to students, families and communities across the U.S. 

Alina’s work is rooted in strengthening agency. Guardians of the Heart offers CPR and AED certification in schools, heart-healthy meal redesigns in cafeterias and free blood pressure screenings in under-resourced areas. Through 12 expert panels and dozens of workshops and health fairs, the nonprofit has reached more than 5,200 individuals and engaged over 1,150 students in meaningful learning experiences. The initiative has also supported bilingual nutrition outreach at food pantries and created interactive health programs for children to make prevention approachable and fun. 

Beyond direct service, Alina plays a key role in legislative advocacy, pushing for broader adoption of preventive care education and school-based wellness practices. She manages partnerships with major hospitals, community health centers, libraries, summer camps and national nonprofits like the American Heart Association. With chapters active or emerging in six states, Alina also mentors student leaders in new regions, helping them replicate and adapt the program locally.

This teen’s leadership is hands-on and far-reaching. From piloting Mediterranean and DASH-inspired school menus to producing a digital Youth Cardiovascular Health Resource Guide used by over 700 members, Alina’s commitment to public health touches every corner of her organization. She dedicates roughly 35 hours a month to coordinating volunteers, building community partnerships and ensuring that her nonprofit continues to evolve with both innovation and impact. Rather than waiting for a medical degree to save lives, Alina is saving them now. Read on to find out more about her mission.

Tell us about your volunteer role. 

As the founder and CEO of Guardians of the Heart, I lead and support everything from outreach and advocacy to event planning and partnership building. I try to be as hands-on and present as possible, whether it’s coordinating health fairs, creating heart-healthy lunch programs with schools, organizing CPR demonstrations or expert panels or library workshops, or developing educational resource guides for students and families.  

I work with an amazing team of volunteers and collaborators, and together, we aim to make heart health more accessible, especially for young people and underserved communities. We partner with hospitals, libraries, schools, food pantries, farmers’ markets, museums, you name it, to bring a culture of prevention into everyday spaces. 

What inspired you to first get started with Guardians of the Heart? 

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in Westchester, across New York State, throughout the U.S. and globally. Yet, up to 80% of it is preventable through simple lifestyle changes, like eating well, exercising, not smoking, managing stress and staying informed. Despite this, many people, especially young people, are unaware of just how much power they have to protect their hearts early on. Some of my classmates have heart conditions already, while others have risk factors, including high cholesterol and high blood pressure.  

Guardians of the Heart is purposefully dedicated to cardiovascular health promotion and disease prevention not among senior populations, but among us: students, peers, children and adolescents who’ve been told or believe “you’re too young to worry about that.” Because we’re not. Prevention starts early, and it’s never too soon to care about your heart. 

Why is this issue so important to you? 

When my grandfather had a stroke during the COVID lockdowns, we were thousands of miles away and helpless to do anything, and that feeling stuck with me. As I learned more about heart disease and its connection to my own family history through coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation and diabetes (a major risk factor), I realized how preventable a lot of it is, with the right knowledge and support. I couldn’t go back and change family members’ outcomes, but I could do something with what I learned. So I did. I started where I was, with what I had and founded Guardians of the Heart. 

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization? 

I would love to grow beyond New York and eventually reach across the country, and even internationally. We have already established a chapter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and have potential ones forming in other states as well. My goal is to give other young people the tools and support to make an impact in their own communities. Heart disease is a global issue, but real change begins at the local level. Every small step, whether it is advocacy, education or community action, has a compound interest. An individual makes a ripple, a community makes a wave and the world makes an ocean. Together, when we focus on prevention instead of treatment, we can build communities that don’t just survive, but thrive. 

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work? 

The most rewarding part of my work has been seeing the genuine engagement from the community. I’ve seen health fair attendees get genuinely excited about answering questions on trivia topics like blood pressure, cholesterol, and the impact of diet. They go beyond simply participating to ask curious, thoughtful follow-up questions, even challenging each other and our team to dig deeper.  

What’s also rewarding is working alongside equally passionate individuals. Whether it’s student volunteers teaching CPR with as much care as any instructor, or peers brainstorming new outreach ideas late into the evening, there’s something incredibly fulfilling about being part of a team that truly believes in what we’re doing. And while we cannot bring back those we have lost, we can keep working to make sure that fewer lives are lost needlessly. That’s the promise that drives me forward. 

Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about. 

This summer, we’re partnering with the YMCA and Westchester Children’s Museum to bring heart health education to kids in fun, hands-on ways. At YMCA Camp Combe, we’re hosting Life’s Essential 8 workshops with stations featuring trivia, fitness games and more. For younger kids, we’re hosting a storytime and arts and crafts session centered around heart health. At the museum, we’re turning the workshop into a scavenger hunt with prizes to keep kids engaged as they learn.  

We’re also teaming up with Feeding Westchester and the American Heart Association for a Kids in the Kitchen event, where kids will learn to make simple, nutritious meals using pantry staples. I’m excited to see the kids having fun while picking up the skills and knowledge that could truly shape their futures. 

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about? 

It’s important for others to get involved with causes they care about because change doesn’t happen on its own. Change is a shared responsibility among all of us. Change must be proactive, not reactive. If something moves you, whether it’s health, the environment, social justice, education or something else entirely, then you’re probably the right person to do something about it. You don’t need to be an expert. Just start, be curious and learn as you go. Getting involved connects you with others, builds your skills and, most importantly, reminds you that your time and voice matter. When you contribute to something bigger than yourself, you also discover who you are. 

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering? 

Start small, start scared, but start anyway. You don’t need to have everything figured out to make a difference; you just need to care and be willing to try. At our very first fundraiser, my team had every detail planned, but when the event actually started, no one felt confident enough to approach people. Toward the end, a kind passerby reminded us: “The worst thing that could happen in asking is not getting something you didn’t have in the first place.”  

That’s my advice: Don’t wait until you feel ready. You get ready by doing. You can think and plan everything in your mind all you want, but at some point, you must take a risk, speak up and put yourself out there for a cause you care about. Preparation becomes hollow without courage. And courage, more often than not, starts with the humility to risk being ignored. The learning curve from that is always worth the initial discomfort. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Alina? Find local volunteer opportunities.