Shelby Armistead is an American Heart Association superstar, and all in the name of “Grampy.”

Shelby’s mom, Becky Armistead, said Shelby considered Grampy her best friend, and the feeling was mutual.

“He was my favorite person,” agreed the bright-eyed 7-year-old, a second-grader at Blossom Gulch Elementary School.

Her grandfather, Vince Bloom, a speech-communication professor at California State University, Fresno, died at age 64 of a heart attack when she was just 4 years old.

Even though he lived in Central California, Becky said the family lived there for a while and went to see him and Shelby’s grandmother several times a year. “They were on the phone four or five times a week,” she said.

As Shelby held out photographs and a scrapbook containing more of Bloom’s pictures, she remembered the best times with him were when they took naps together, when they went out for ice cream and when he would sneak her some candy.

“They were sly,” Shelby’s mom, a third-grade teacher at the school, said, smiling at her daughter.

Shelby, an active girl who has participated in track, baseball, swimming and gymnastics, said she some day hopes be a cheerleader. She jumped at the chance to do something in her grandfather’s honor. When the opportunity came up, she decided to participate in the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope For Heart campaign at the school.

In two weeks, she raised $1,650 in contributions. She jumped rope for a half an hour every morning during spring break; but the hardest work was raising the money.

“I asked pretty much everybody for money,” Shelby said.

Becky said there were a few $1 donations. Shelby put her arm in the air and exclaimed, “I said, ‘That dollar can help one person!”’

Becky said they had some corporate sponsors including, The Coach House Restaurant & Lounge, Harry Ritchie’s Jewelers and the Mediterranean Café, but her daughter raised the donations all on her own.

“I did not ask for any money,” Becky said. “Because of that, I feel that it can truly be called her success.”

When Shelby raised $125 in last year’s Jump Rope For Heart contest at Blossom Gulch, Becky said, “We were really proud of her.”

But this year went far beyond her expectations.

The money was due by April 8 and Shelby set her first goal at $400.

“She kept going up: $600, $800, $1,000,” Becky said. “She got over $1,000 and she said, ‘I want to keep going.’ She went right through $1,500 up to $1,650.”

The Heart Association’s Oregon Youth Market Director, John Ling, visited Shelby in her mom’s classroom on Thursday.

Ling said this year’s Jump Rope For Heart effort at the school almost didn’t happen because there was nobody to coordinate it, but then he heard from Shelby’s teacher, Rick Edgar, who ended up heading the program.

Most of the students became involved, according to Edgar, who said, “There easily was more than 100 kids jumping rope and hula hooping every morning.

“The jump rope part was just a nice bonus,” he added. “The kids were getting into jumping rope and being healthy.”

There were 43 students who raised just under $4,600, Edgar said. Ling said that each student on average earned more than $100 — double the national average.

“We rock!” Becky said, high-fiving Edgar.

“You do rock,” Ling told them.

Mom and teacher’s cameras clicked as Ling presented Shelby with a banner.

“She made the most in the school by a thousand,” Ling said. “She may have made the most in the state; I have to verify that. Maybe in Washington, too.

“This is for your school, but since you did such a fantastic job, we’ll give it to you,” Ling said.

Shelby beamed.

When asked if she would participate next year, Shelby opened her eyes wide and said, “Oh, yeah!”

Edgar said next year, they will see if they can get businesses to sponsor prizes for the children. This year, he was coaxing them with one prize — an iPod engraved with their name, that he provided.

But, Becky said, Shelby never asked about the award.

“I kind of, sort of, forgot about halfway through,” Shelby said.

And when she won it, she wanted something other than her name scratched into it — “I raised $1,650 for (the) Heart Association.”

Shelby, who was showing everybody how she can do the splits on Thursday, said what she liked most about being in Jump Rope For Heart was, “Probably the jump roping ... and probably saving a lot of people’s lives.”

For more information on Jump Rope For Heart, those interested can visit http://www.americanheart.org/.