615 Elsinore Place  Cincinnati, Ohio 45202  513.559.2468  fax 513.487.

3668

Media Contact: Kim Sykes July 18, 2019

Email: kim@makermarketing.com

Phone: (513) 460-0159

Heimlich Heroes™ Education Program Receives $45,000 in

Grants for School Education

Heimlich Heroes™, a non-profit program of the Deaconess Foundation which prepares

and trains people to recognize and respond to a choking emergency, has been awarded $45,000

in grant monies that will go towards continued outreach within local schools throughout the

Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region.

Grant funding comes from The Maxwell C. Weaver Foundation, The R.C. Durr

Foundation, Inc., The Wohlgemuth-Herschede Foundation, and the Robert H. Reakirt

Foundation.

Heimlich Heroes™ has trained and equipped more than 10,400 children across 34

schools in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region, and more than 180,000 people have
participated nationwide to date. “Thanks to these generous foundations, our local schools—

where budgets might not have room for extra programs like ours—can get in on the action,” said

program manager, Terri Huntington. “This grant allows critical, life-saving skills to be taught at

local schools. Children will gain confidence in themselves as they learn the signs of a choking

emergency and the steps needed to respond with the Heimlich Maneuver®,” said Huntington.

“Specifically, the grants will allow local children to have interactive, hands-on practice

with specially-made training dolls. Students will also receive other training materials, all of

which will be at no cost to schools demonstrating financial need,” said Huntington.

With offices located in Cincinnati, Heimlich Heroes™ was developed through a

cooperative effort of Deaconess Associations, Inc. and the Heimlich Institute. The late Dr. Henry

Heimlich developed the Heimlich Maneuver® more than four decades ago, and the maneuver

has saved hundreds of thousands of lives since.

Heimlich Heroes™ regularly works with the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs of America,

American Heritage Girls, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and 4-H club leaders, teaching the choking

safety and response lessons to children as young as 7 years old.

“School nurses and health teachers, scout leaders and other after-school youth

organizations eagerly embrace the practical, hands-on training for their staff, students, and

members,” said Huntington. “Heroes really do come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. We're pleased

that this funding will help us continue to equip people to save lives right here in our region.”

About Deaconess Heimlich Heroes™

With offices located in Cincinnati, Ohio, Heimlich Heroes™was developed through a

cooperative effort of Deaconess Associations, Inc. and the Heimlich Institute. The Heimlich
Heroes™ education-based program can be used in any classroom, club, organization, or group

setting to educate people on how to recognize and respond to a choking situation. Since its inception

in 2013, more than 180,000 children, teens, and adults have been trained to properly perform the

Heimlich Maneuver®.

For more information about the Deaconess Heimlich Heroes™ program or to register a

school, class, or organization for training, visit the website at: www.heimlichheroes.com .

# # #