Message Sent
Thank you for your inquiry. We will respond to you as soon as possible.
Bev Heller remembers that November morning like it was yesterday. It was the day before Thanksgiving in 2005. The night prior, her 17-year old son David had played in the Ram Review, a showcase of Central Catholic basketball talent, both boys and girls. He came home, did his homework, visited with friends on his cell phone, and then went to bed. The next day started out like any other, with the rush to get dressed, and making sure the family was fed and out the door. Bev was mentally preparing for a work meeting when, realizing that she hadn't seen David yet, went into his room to roust him. When he didn't respond, she touched his arm to shake him awake and found it cold to the touch. Immediately jolted into her role as a trained nurse, she began CPR while yelling to husband Jeff to call 911. But it was too late. Her beautiful, smart, fun-loving basketball fanatic son David was gone, dead from an undiagnosed heart defect called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The rest of that day, and the days to follow were a blur. As people heard the devastating news, they began arriving at the Heller's home near Scappoose. Central Catholic teammates, classmates, childhood friends from Scappoose, their parents; neighbors, family, friends, even the school custodian stopped by to pay his respects. Within hours, they had received more than 70 flower bouquets from loving friends, (which together, the family later delivered to local care facilities.) The Heller family was enveloped in love and support, though Bev says, "We found ourselves consoling them as much as they were consoling us." This was their experience, all while navigating the most agonizing heartbreak imaginable.
David
David's father, Jeff Heller, who played under Coach Jack Avina at the University of Portland in the late 1970s, remembers giving his son advice on the game. "I would tell him, never leave the floor on a missed shot. Always try to leave the floor on a positive note," he recalls. "David always did that, sometimes shooting 500 times each day. When it would get too dark to see on our outdoor court, he would move the car around so the headlights would shine on the hoops. He cared that much about the game."
At Central Catholic, in typical David fashion, he continued to push himself. A 4.0 student at Scappoose High School, as he transferred he was told by a coach, "You'll never make a 4.0 at Central Catholic." He finished that first semester with a 4.11 GPA. Although his sophomore year playing basketball was disappointing, as he had to play JV, David's junior year found him ready to be the Rams' starting shooting guard. David was growing up, he had a dream, a big dream and he was going to make it happen.
Faith in Action: The David Heller Foundation
When David died, the Heller family vowed, "David, we will never forget you.
We will always honor you." After his memorial service, as they began their
new life without him, the family began to ponder this. What was the best
way to honor their beloved son and brother?
Bev, ever practical and with her nurse's training, hit on the idea of providing cardiac screenings for teenage athletes. If kids had to have a physical before playing high school sports, why couldn't a cardiac screening be part of that process? Maybe they could raise funds to make these screenings available. Maybe they could prevent another family from losing a loved one, like they had. Bev says, "We couldn't bring David back, but maybe we could prevent another tragic outcome."
The other idea that resonated with the Heller family was scholarships. David was passionate about following his dreams and pushing himself to achieve his goals. Maybe there was a way to help other kids like David pursue their dreams. From the seed of these two ideas, the David Heller Foundation was born, along with a big vision to help other youth, fund cardiac screenings for teenage athletes, and educate the public about the importance of cardiac screening.
Bev adds, "The friends we made at Central Catholic played a major role in building the David Heller Foundation. These include Jeff and Mary Dunn along with son Corey '06, Scott and Nancy Stratton and their son Zach '06, Bernie '77 and Jan Walsh and son Michael '06, and Bob and Karen Freelander, with their son Jordan '08. These families have been committed since the very beginning and have not wavered in their support. We could not have done it without them."
Healthy Hearts
After obtaining their 501 (c)(3) non-profit status, the Hellers wasted no
time and screenings began with the first taking place at Central Catholic,
drawing more than 100 students and volunteers. The David Heller Foundation
was the first group in the Pacific Northwest to do any such screening, and
it wasn't long before the volume of young athletes being screened
necessitated a move, first to the Memorial Coliseum, and eventually to the
adidas campus. A partnership with Legacy Children's Hospital (now Randall
Children's Hospital) ensued and over time the number of teenage athletes
screened grew from 200, to 300 to more than 500 each year.
Today, while the partnership with Legacy has changed, the vision of the Heller family has endured. Legacy continues to conduct screenings in their urgent care clinics, with the David Heller Foundation funding screenings for kids who couldn't afford them otherwise. Today, the David Heller Foundation also partners with Play Smart, through Providence St. Vincent's Heart Institute.
Another partnership that grew from the tragedy was with the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA). Executive Director Tom Welter (also former Athletic Director at Central Catholic) had learned through a survey of OSAA member schools that many schools, especially in small, rural towns, didn't have access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), portable, life-saving devices designed to treat people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. Today, the focus of the David Heller Foundation has shifted to include funding the purchase of these defibrillators. Since 2014, the foundation has donated more than 250 AEDs to schools and towns throughout Oregon.
Scholarships
David Heller inspired two scholarships, one through the David Heller
Foundation and the other, the David Heller Memorial Scholarship at Central
Catholic High School. The first is open to anyone who applies and is
awarded each year to "an exemplary student who has big dreams and is
working with passion and determination to fulfill them." This David Heller
Foundation scholarship has awarded about $40,000 to 38 graduating seniors.
The Central Catholic scholarship began in 2006 with part of the balance remaining from David's tuition. It grew rapidly, fed by gifts from David's classmates, teachers, friends, and family and reached endowed status in less than two years. The Hellers wanted this scholarship to go to a Central Catholic student who, like David "pursued his/her dreams with passion and determination, someone who participates in extra-curricular activities and life with a purist mindset; no drugs, no alcohol and total commitment to his team, his teachers and coaches, and his school." To date, the David Heller Memorial Scholarship has awarded roughly $30,000 to 26 students, allowing them the experience of a Central Catholic education.
The Heller Family: Resilience. Integrity. Service.
Bev Heller is, by nature, a thoughtful woman and upon learning that one of
the virtues that Central Catholic students will focus on for the 2020-2021
school year is resilience, she grew reflective. Resilience: it's a
character trait that resonates deeply with her because of the way her
family has continued to live after David's death. She says, "When Legacy
told us they were ending our partnership, we felt so let down, so defeated.
But, we had to continue to honor David's legacy. He never gave up, ever.
So, we couldn't either. So, we shifted the focus of our foundation to that
of providing defibrillators and found a new way to honor him."
She continued, "David was resilient too, in so many ways. Even in the midst of adversity or disappointment, he always saw another opportunity, always knew there would be another day. He also had integrity. He was exactly who he said he was. He was the kind of kid who said hello to everyone, whether it was the principal of the school or the custodian."
Jeff and Bev both talk about how David was impacted growing up in a small, tight-knit community like Scappoose, surrounded by his parents and grandparents, and being part of the St. Wenceslaus parish, where he was an altar server for ten years. As a little boy, he learned to serve at church dinners, to do clean-up, or stuff envelopes.
Jeff adds, "David was also very close to his siblings. The day he passed, our three children brought all their mattresses into our bedroom and we all slept in that one room for the next month. One of our children slept there for almost a year. Our kids all agree that our tight-knit family bond got us through that difficult period."
Family, community, church, all were part of David's formation as a person,
how he viewed service, how his work ethic was developed. The Heller family
continues to honor David's legacy with this same ethic of service. Along
with the board of the David Heller Foundation, they work to fund their
mission, holding an annual gala at the Jantzen Beach Red Lion. This year,
however the COVID-19 pandemic has forced them to cancel the in-person
event, on what would have been its 15th anniversary. However,
they are working on a special video presentation, scheduled for September
26 with some of David's former teammates and friends. Check the David
Heller Foundation website for details.
Remembering David
Bev and Jeff each have painful, but wonderful memories of intimate moments
with David before he passed, brief conversations that they'll always
cherish. Bev recalls the night before he died. "He was so excited about the
season and being a starter for the Rams. He said his heart was racing, so I
was trying to get him to calm down. He looked at me and said, as if to get
me to calm down, 'Mom, if I die tonight, just know that I love you.' "
Jeff recalls a similar conversation from around the same time. "I told him how proud I was of him," he says. "David looked at me and said, 'You know what, Dad? Thank you so much for everything you've done for me.''' Jeff pauses and takes a breath. "I miss him so much. But, we got to be around him for 17 years and that is truly a blessing."
Bev Heller is a mom and admits to being a worrier, especially when it comes to her children. She remembers David telling her one time, "Mom, you need to relax. Just live in the moment." She tries to do that today, to honor David, although it's not always easy. But, she's gratified by what her family, with lots of help has been able to accomplish in David's honor. "Faith got us through this," she said. "And David will always be with us." She muses, "Kids still leave notes on David's tombstone, even 15 years later. One left a college paper he'd written. It's a comfort to know he's remembered so well."
The Heller Family has honored David's legacy through their Foundation and through the David Heller Memorial Scholarship at Central Catholic. Endowing a scholarship creates lasting impact for students, allowing them to benefit from a Central Catholic High School education.
If you would like to remember a loved one by endowing a scholarship at Central Catholic, please contact Ellie Dir in the Office of Advancement at 503.230.1056, ext. 1258 or by email at [email protected].