GATINEAU, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Nov. 3, 2015) - The ACT Foundation, in collaboration with the Fréchette family will be launching its fundraising campaign to set up the CPR and the Defibrillation Program in the 20 Outaouais high schools. The event will take place at L'École secondaire du Versant in Gatineau, 808 Boulevard de la Cité, Gatineau, Québec, J8T 3S8.
The ACT Foundation is the charitable organization that is helping communities set up the free lifesaving CPR and defibrillator training program in all Canadian high schools so all students can be empowered to save lives. Teachers are trained as CPR and defibrillation instructors for their students through the program.
Lydia, 19, saved her five year old sister's life, Madeleine, thanks to the CPR she learned at school. Lydia was part of the first group of students to be trained by teacher, Dominique Langlais, when the ACT Foundation set up the High School CPR Program at l'École secondaire du Versant in Gatineau. At today's launch of the fundraising campaign, she will talk about how her high school CPR training prepared her to save her little sister's life.
"The Doctor told me that had I not reacted as quickly as I did, my sister wouldn't be with us today," shares Lydia.
With eight in 10 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring at home or in public places, empowering youth with CPR training as part of their high school education will help increase citizen CPR response rates over the long term. Moreover, early CPR, combined with early defibrillation, can increase survival rates for cardiac arrest victims by up to 75%, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
"The ACT Program trains all youth to become citizens empowered with the necessary skills to save a life," tells Lydia's teacher, Dominique Langlais from l'École secondaire du Versant.
Call to Action
Once the program is set up, 3,000 students will graduate every year with essential lifesaving skills. The 20 schools will also receive Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training units and AED training mannequins. The schools will receive, as needed a defibrillator in case of cardiac emergencies.
To make a donation and to spread the word about this fundraising campaign, visit ACT's web page (in French): www.fondationact.ca/campagne-outaouais, or contact ACT directly at the 1-800-465-9111.
About the ACT Foundation
The ACT Foundation is the national charitable organization that is creating a culture of lifesaving™ by establishing the CPR and AED program in Canadian high schools. The program is built on ACT's award-winning community-based model of partnerships and support, whereby ACT finds local partners who donate the mannequins and AED training units that schools need to set up the program. High school teachers then teach CPR and how to use a defibrillator to their students as a regular part of the curriculum, reaching all youth prior to graduation. ACT's partners who are committed to bringing the program to Quebec are the Government of Quebec and our national health partners, AstraZeneca Canada, Pfizer Canada and Sanofi Canada.
Contact Information:
Communications Coordinator
ACT Foundation
comms@actfoundation.ca
613-729-3455 - Toll: 800-465-9111
www.actfoundation.ca