Northbridge resident Heather Welch was honored by the American Heart Association during the Central Massachusetts Heart and Stroke Walk, held in June month at Fitton Field on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. Welch received the received the Heart Hero Award for her leadership in making Bright Beginnings Center in Hopedale the first public school in Massachusetts to be certified as a Heart Safe School through Project ADAM, a nationally recognized initiative that prepares schools to respond to cardiac emergencies. Welch, a nurse, collaborated with Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence Rhode Island and local emergency responders to ensure her school had a fully trained response team and a comprehensive cardiac emergency plan.Here, Heart Association Board Chair Christopher Kostiw presents the award to Welch.