Funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), is not typically associated with community colleges. Inequities in access to health care and a high incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have created an opportunity for a partnership among The Toledo Hospital, Owens Community College (OCC) and other Northwest Ohio organizations. The collaboration has focused on developing strategies to reduce the prevalence of CVD and its associated behavioral risk factors. Participation by OCC students stems from the commitment of the faculty and administration to the inclusion of service learning into the curriculum and to the transformational nature of such learning. The Toledo Hospital was awarded a contract by the NHLBI for a program of community-based prevention and educational activities targeting a specific area of west-central Toledo: The Ottawa Coalition. The program is entitled, Health Education, Activities, & Resources for Toledoans or HEART Program. The HEART Program provides educational activities aimed at those residents who are at risk for CVD and have limited access to health care. For students, faculty and administrators of OCC, the HEART Program service-learning experience has been characterized by a passage through the five dimensions of institutionalization. Each activity has created new and interesting challenges but has garnered rewards far exceeding expectations. (Contains 4 tables.)