Would you be willing to devote less than an hour of your time if it meant potentially saving the life of someone you love?
Would you be willing to devote less than an hour of your time if it meant potentially saving the life of someone you love?
The Hearts for Harmon CPR Challenge continues Saturday, April 25, from 10:45 to 11:30 am, at The Fitness Loft on Simm Lane just below the Newtown Car Wash. The challenge, underwritten by Newtown Savings Bank and supported by Newtown-based Rescue Ropes and Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, continues with the ultimate goal of exposing 1,000 or more local residents to life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the operation of automatic external defibrillators, or AEDs.
While the program does not provide certification, volunteers will promote the AHAâs new simpler guidelines for giving CPR to those suffering cardiac arrest through an innovative self-teaching system called CPR Anytime.
In less than one hour, the CPR Anytime system can help anyone to keep life-sustaining blood flowing to the heart when people suffer cardiac arrest. This second public training session is part of the ongoing Hearts for Harmon CPR Challenge being conducted in memory of The Newtown Beeâs late sports editor Kim Harmon, who died following a heart attack in December 2007.
There is no charge for the session, but participants are being asked to pledge to use the CPR Anytime kits they receive to expose ten or more additional friends or family members in the coming year, according to event organizer John Voket, a Newtown Bee associate editor and longtime friend of Mr Harmon. Anyone age 12 and older interested in learning the CPR Anytime system is encouraged to participate, and walk-ins on the morning of April 25 are welcome.
In the spirit of helping support a healthier community, Joanneâs Fitness Studio, Yoga Dimensions, The Graceful Planet, and The Inspired Body also volunteered to be sign up locations for the program.
Organizers are asking participants to consider making a nominal $10 donation to AHA to participate. In exchange, each participant will receive a CPR Anytime training kit, which costs $45 if purchased individually from AHAâs vendor. For more information, contact Mr Voket at 203-509-2246 or john@thebee.com.