RIO RANCHO, N.M. — The NFL season may have just kicked off, but a local student already knows she’s headed to Super Bowl LXI.
“Why do you think we’re here? Sophia has won tickets to the Super Bowl!” American Heart Association Senior Vice President of School Engagement Amanda Heffley said.
Sophia Farwell won two tickets, airfare, and a hotel stay for next year’s Super Bowl. So why did this 10-year-old win? She helped out her community.
“I completed Finn’s Mission, and I learned hands-only CPR,” Farwell said.
Finn’s Mission is part of the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge.
“We do Kids Heart Challenge over about a three-week period. We came into Stapleton here and did a huge kickoff,” Heffley said. “Schools across the nation complete this program, students complete this mission, and then we do a drawing with the NFL for students across the nation.”
Farwell completed the challenge and raised about $350. She won by chance.
“You reach out to friends and family and ask if they will make life-saving donations while you also are watching a hands-only CPR video, and our students nine and older can actually save lives. We’ve had incredible stories of even kindergarteners knowing what to do,” Heffley said.
The kids also learn how to spot the warning signs of a stroke.
Farwell’s parents, Michele and Jared, are proud, to say the least.
“She tries really hard, so we’re very proud of her,” Michele Farwell said.
“She has a big heart, and she’s a hard worker,” Jared Farwell said.
The award is incredibly rare. The 10-year-old won by chance.
**Monica Logroño:** _“You’re only one of five nationally.”_
**Sophia & Michele Farwell:** _“Wow. Wow.”_
**Jared Farwell:** _“Five in the whole country!”_
Sophia and her parents said they had no idea and were speechless when they found out.
**Monica Logroño:** _“You have one ticket for yourself, and you have one extra ticket…”_
**Michele Farwell:** _“And two football-loving parents.”_
**Jared Farwell:** _“We might have to row shambo for it.”_
**Sophia Farwell:** _“I’m gonna decide in my head.”_
The tickets are certainly cool, but in doing the challenge, Sophia learned life-saving skills not just for herself; she also taught her friends and family.
“It’s not that hard to learn, and it’s not that hard to help somebody in need,” Sophia Farwell said.
**Monica Logroño:** _“Why do you think it’s important to learn CPR?”_
**Sophia Farwell:** _“Because it’s gonna save somebody’s life, and their family and friends would be very happy to know that they’re alive.”_
A student can win tickets, but if 18 kids complete the challenge at their school, they are entered to win a $10,000 gym makeover. To learn more, click [here.](https://www2.heart.org/site/SPageNavigator/what_is_finns_misson.html)