By Adeniyi Precious 
The New York Giants’ nonprofit arm, The Giants Foundation, joined forces with the American Heart Association (AHA) to teach crucial CPR and AED skills to students from 12 local schools. The training session took place on March 20 at MetLife Stadium, aiming to equip more people with the ability to act fast during a cardiac emergency.
According to the AHA, nearly 90% of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital don’t make it—often because they don’t get immediate CPR. But performing CPR right away can double or even triple survival chances. That’s why training like this is so important.
Making CPR More Accessible
The AHA is a global leader in CPR education, and with most cardiac arrests happening at home, knowing how to respond can be the difference between life and death. The event emphasized Hands-Only CPR, which is simple: Call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest.
To keep the momentum going, each participating school received a CPR in Schools kit with 10 CPR manikins, AED training tools, and a full curriculum to teach students, faculty, staff, and parents. Plus, three schools received an actual AED device.
Schools That Received CPR Training Kits:
Hackensack School District, Hackensack, NJ
Springfield School District, Springfield, NJ
New Milford School District, New Milford, NJ
Oradell School District, Oradell, NJ
Clifton School District, Clifton, NJ
Montclair School District, Montclair, NJ
Bergen County Special Services, Paramus, NJ
East Orange School District, East Orange, NJ
Morristown School District, Morristown, NJ
Saddle Brook School District, Saddle Brook, NJ
A Game Plan for Saving Lives
Allison Stangeby, VP of community and corporate relations for the Giants, said having a solid CPR strategy is crucial in an emergency. Thanks to a grant from the NFL Foundation, The Giants Foundation was able to provide CPR training kits and AEDs to schools in the area.
This effort aligns with the Smart Heart Sports Coalition, launched by the NFL in 2023 with partners like the NBA, MLB, MLS, and NCAA. The coalition is pushing for all 50 states to implement policies that prevent fatal cardiac incidents in student-athletes. The AHA reports that 23,000 people under 18 experience cardiac arrest outside of hospitals every year—40% of those cases happen during sports.
By teaching more people CPR and making AEDs more accessible, these initiatives are helping to create safer schools, communities, and playing fields.