GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) -- State Representatives Carol Glanville and Kristian Grant donated life-saving devices, gifted by an NFL player who collapsed during a game, to two Grand Rapids Public Schools high schools.
The automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are among 50 donated by Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin to Michigan schools. Hamlin's connection to AEDs is personal - first responders used one, along with CPR, to save his life after he suffered cardiac arrest during an NFL game.
Hamlin donated the AEDs during the NFL Draft in Detroit earlier this year as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bipartisan legislation to strengthen AED and CPR training requirements in schools.
"The well-being of our scholars, staff, and visitors is our top priority. Providing our community with access to life-saving equipment is a critical aspect of that commitment," GRPS Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby said while accepting the AED donations. "Today, we stand together to accept a donation that could make the difference between life and death in an emergency."
"Having resources like this right there, very close by, will ensure that if something ever does happen to you or someone that you love who comes to see you at a game, that we're prepared," State Representative Kristian Grant, an Ottawa Hills High School alumnus and former GRPS Board of Education member, told student-athletes attending the event.
"About 2,000 people under the age of 25 in the United States, who are seemingly healthy, die each year from sudden cardiac arrest," explained State Representative Carol Glanville, a former GRPS educator. "With this legislation, we are helping to ensure that no student, teacher, or visitor in our schools becomes one of those statistics."
"We are profoundly grateful to the NFL, Representative Carol Glanville, and Representative Kristian Grant for their generous gifts of AEDs," Roby said.
The AEDs will be installed at Ottawa Hills High School and Union High School.
