The Preston Settles Memorial Fund was established to provide and fund PReston’s Hope: Accelerating discOvery and Care for people wiTh hypErtrophic CardiomyopaThy (PROTECT), and to otherwise support charitable activities in Preston’s memory.

Net proceeds will fund the ongoing initiatives for prevention and awareness of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Last year, the Settles family introduced Bill H.4121 (The Preston Settles “Every Minute Counts” Act). This legislation will require AEDs at all public sporting events in the Commonwealth with identifiable trained personnel to facilitate their use when needed. The bill is currently moving its way through the Senate for final approval. Your generous gift will enable us to donate Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to youth-serving organizations throughout the City of Boston and the Commonwealth. We will also provide funding grants to many youth-serving organizations that leverage the power of sports and provide a sense of belonging to youth, as they did to Preston’s life in so many ways.

Some of the initiatives of the Funding will include:

1. Purchase 300+ AEDs to distribute across the Commonwealth. We are wholeheartedly grateful to our lead sponsor, ZOLL Medical Corporation, whose generous donation and partnership will allow us to purchase them at significant cost savings.

2. We will support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, the YMCA, YW, and No Books No Balls to help with many of their select youth programs and provide CPR & AED training to their members.

3. Provide funding to the American Heart Association to provide training in CPR and the use of AEDs throughout the Commonwealth.

4. Provide scholarships to underserved youth to participate in enrichment programs to enhance their professional growth and expose them to various sports.

5. Support cardiovascular research at both Tufts Medical Center and Children’s Hospital in Boston.