Visit the American Heart Association Website

Half the proceeds from the 2026 Tennis with a Heart charity tournament go directly to the Houston Chapter of the American Heart Association. Many people are involved in a myriad of activities to make this event a success, and all of those people give their time and effort freely to aid these important causes.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in this country, and the American Heart Association is our best army to fight it.

The AHA is headquartered in Texas, and has long been a champion of heart-health research, awareness, education, advocacy, and treatment and care, both emergency and long-term.

In 1994, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, an industry publication, released the results of the largest study of its kind of charitable and non-profit organization popularity and credibility. The study showed that the American Heart Association was among the top 3% most-trusted non-profit organizations in the U.S.

There is good reason for that trust. No other non-profit organization has done—and is doing—as much to combat cardiovascular disease.

Each year, heart disease tops the list of this country’s most serious health problems. Statistics show that cardiovascular disease is America’s leading cause of death. Here in Greater Houston, over 35% of all deaths are attributable to cardiovascular disease.

That’s a staggering number. Statistically, of every three people you know, one will die of cardiovascular disease. Not cancer, not old age, not pneumonia, not diabetes, not in automobile or other accidents.

In fact, cardiovascular disease is the cause of more deaths than the next five causes combined.

• At least 80 million people in this country suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease.
• One person in three suffers from some form of cardiovascular disease. This includes high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, congenital cardiovascular defects, and congestive heart failure.
• Almost one out of every 2.8 deaths results from cardiovascular disease.
• More than 2,400 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day, an average of one death every 37 seconds.
• Cardiovascular disease is the cause of more deaths than the next five causes combined, which are cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents, diabetes mellitus, and flu/pneumonia.
• It is a myth that heart disease is a man’s disease. In fact, cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of both women and men. These diseases currently claim the lives of nearly half a million females every year.
• About one-third of cardiovascular disease deaths occur prematurely, before the patient’s age would have suggested failure.
• On average, someone in America suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies every 3 minutes from stroke.
• Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability that accounts for more than half of all patients hospitalized for a neurological disease. Stroke deaths have been increasing in recent years.