On June 4, the Red Sox Foundation and the American Heart Association (AHA) transformed Fenway Park into a lifesaving training ground, equipping an invited 400 people with Hands-Only CPR skills following the Red Sox–Orioles game. The event, held during National CPR and AED Awareness Week (June 1-7), highlighted the critical importance of CPR education and reinforced the vital role bystanders play in improving survival outcomes during cardiac emergencies, which kill hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. each year.
Participants, including youth athletes, coaches, educators, healthcare advocates, and community leaders, gathered in the outfield for immersive training designed to equip bystanders with the confidence and skills to respond during sudden cardiac arrest. “We are deeply grateful to the Red Sox Foundation for their extraordinary leadership in bringing this lifesaving effort to Fenway Park,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the AHA. “By uniting hundreds of people on the field during National CPR and AED Awareness Week, this effort not only raises awareness but equips individuals with the confidence to act when every second matters.”
Earlier in the day, the organizations hosted a panel discussion focused on heart health, emergency response preparedness, and bystander intervention. Moderated by Dr. Jennifer Ashton, founder of Ajenda and AHA board member, the panel featured Nancy Brown; 2018 Red Sox World Series Champion Brock Holt; Angel City FC defender and cardiac arrest survivor Savy King; and local cardiac arrest survivor and lifesaver duo Marc Henderson and Jim McQuade. “Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, and survival often depends on whether someone nearby is prepared to act in those first critical moments,” said Ashton. “Expanding access to CPR education is one of the most important ways we can strengthen public health and save lives.”
“At the Red Sox Foundation, we believe strengthening our communities means investing in the health, safety and well-being of the people who call them home,” said Bekah Salwasser, executive director of the Red Sox Foundation. “Providing access to lifesaving education like Hands-Only CPR is one of the many ways we work to create lasting impact beyond the ballpark.” By completing the training, participants officially joined the AHA’s Nation of Lifesavers™, a global movement launched in 2023 following the sudden cardiac arrest of NFL player Damar Hamlin. The MLB is a founding member of the Smart Heart Sports Coalition, and the AHA will offer Hands-Only CPR skills to fans attending the All-Star Village in Philadelphia, July 11-14.
More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside hospitals each year in the U.S., and about 90% are fatal, often because CPR isn’t performed soon enough. To break the myth that CPR requires special training, the AHA emphasizes that Hands‑Only CPR for teens and adults has just two steps: call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest at 100–120 beats per minute to a depth of approximately two inches. Events like the one at Fenway Park are crucial for building a nation of lifesavers and advancing the AHA’s commitment to longer, healthier lives. For more information, visit heart.org or redsoxfoundation.org.
