By Brad Galvan, American Red Cross Volunteer

Arguably more important than National Doughnut Day or National Turkey Lovers Day (both real), comes National CPR and AED Awareness Week.

On December 13, 2007, Congress unanimously passed a resolution to set aside June 1-7 each year as National CPR and AED Awareness Week to spotlight how lives can be saved if more Americans know CPR and how to use an AED.

The American Red Cross recognizes and celebrates this week by encouraging as many community members as possible to take get trained and acclimated to both CPR and AED utilization.  We also recognize individuals who have saved the lives of others by performing CPR and using an AED (automated external defibrillator.)  See the stories of the heroes we honored recently in Cleveland and Akron on our YouTube Channel.

CPR and AED utilization has saved countless lives; the reason? It’s because another person remembered past training and stepped up. People helping others is the cornerstone of thriving communities.

The Red Cross has many opportunities for community members to get trained with these life-saving skills. There are countless classes in varying formats: in-person, online and simulated, to teach both adult and pediatric CPR. Visit https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr/cpr-training/cpr-classes for a listing.

Those taking hands-on training will benefit from practicing skills on the new state of the art BigRed™ LightSaving Manikin. The manikin will increase students’ confidence that they can save a life in emergency situations, as it is equipped with three interrelated sets of lights that provide immediate feedback to students on how they are performing CPR. Only the proper technique will show the success of blood circulating from the heart to the brain which improves a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.

The free Red Cross First Aid App provides users with instant access on how to perform Hands-Only CPR and information on sudden cardiac arrest, heart attacks and other emergencies.

How are you going to step up and observe this important week?