As Nicole Ward, mother of CB Denzel Ward and Executive Director of Make Them Know Your Name (MTKYN) Foundation, and Meir Berkman, Vice President of Strategy & Business Development of Avive Solutions, sat at the podium at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, MTKYN Foundation officially announced a partnership with Avive Solutions, a leader in AED technology.
MTKYN Foundation has committed $150,000 to bring over 100 state-of-the-art, lifesaving Avive Connect AEDs to local nonprofits, community organizations, small businesses and houses of worship in the Cleveland community.
"The Cleveland community is unbelievably lucky to have this type of a foundation in the community," Berkman said. "Most places are not so lucky. And part of the mission of our organization at Avive is to seek out these individuals who care so passionately about the issue of sudden cardiac arrest, who have unfortunately been personally touched by the issue of sudden cardiac arrest, to harness that tragedy to do good for the world and do our best to make sure that nobody else has to suffer the type of tragedy that this family did."
The AEDs will be donated to local organizations and individuals who need them most and empower them with cutting-edge lifesaving equipment and the tools to combat Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). This donation of AEDs puts the Cleveland area at the forefront of cardiac emergency response, in an attempt to make the community safer and save countless lives each year from SCA.
The Avive Connect AED is changing emergency response through the use of QuickRescue technology. As the first and only AED capable of automatically transmitting real-time data to 911 telecommunications, QuickRescue unlocks information necessary in moments of SCA, which allows local first responders to have information on the patient. By partnering with Avive, MTKYN Foundation is helping to enhance the Cleveland area's access to these devices.
"It's very important and I feel that it's life changing," Denzel Ward said. "And just very grateful for the opportunity to be able to put the AED kits and just to help save a life. You never know what it will do, but just trying to make a positive impact in the community. And I feel this is a good start."
The loss of Ward's father, Paul Ward Jr., tragically to SCA at the age of 46 while in a spin class inspired him, Nicole Ward and Denzel Ward's brother Paul Ward III to launch his family's foundation, Make Them Know Your Name Foundation (MTKYN) in 2019 – dedicated to helping prevent heart-related fatalities in communities across the nation.
The foundation's mission is to positively impact the heart disease epidemic, in part through providing CPR training, AED equipment and resources and community education to emphasize the importance of living a heart-healthy lifestyle. Nicole Ward said the foundation has successfully trained over 35,000 people in CPR and AED use.
They have also hosted signature community events, such as the Cleveland All-Star Fitness Expo, Pop Up in the Park and Fitness Under the Lights, which have drawn thousands of participants over the course of the year to their events.
Alongside those signature events, the MTKYN Foundation has also hosted annual free youth skills camp and expanded the camp to include a youth football showcase in 2023. At the camp, where attendees have an opportunity to participate in an interactive skills training with Denzel Ward, all the attendees and their families receive information about heart health, including performing CPR and using an AED. They created the 21 Families campaign, in which the foundation supported 21 families and businesses by addressing their most urgent needs during the pandemic.
Their work has continued, as they advocated for the passing of House Bill 47 in Ohio, which is now law. House Bill 47 ensures all public and private schools in Ohio, as well as recreational facilities are equipped with AEDs, emergency preparedness plans and mandatory CPR and AED training for staff and coaches.
The foundation's next step in their commitment in heart health is this donation of the AEDs.
"We're just trying to start something to help change a life and help families not go through what my family and I had to go through," Denzel Ward said. "And so, just happy where the foundation is at and what we've been able to accomplish so far. And we're still making strides to move forward and put more CPR and AED kits and into schools and facilities and make an impact."
Through its ongoing process of fielding AED donation requests from the community, MTKYN Foundation reviews applications and selects organizations in the greatest need of the equipment. In attendance during Monday's announcement were three local Cleveland organizations that each received an AED as part of the donation – Care Circle, Welcome House and Beat the Streets Cleveland.
"These organizations are now outfitted with the state-of-the-art Avive AEDs," Nicole Ward said. "They now have the knowledge of how to use them in case of emergency and comfort in knowing that their people, their participants, their congregants will be safer. We are so grateful for these organizations that they have raised their hands and shared their stories with us and care so deeply about the community that they've requested in AED for their facility."
The partnership between MTKYN Foundation and Avive will kick off with this initial donation of 100 Avive Connect AEDS, and both organizations are committed to expanding this initiative by spreading awareness about SCA and ensuring the lifesaving equipment is available where it's needed most.
Both MTKYN Foundation and Avive Solutions have partnered with the NFL's Smart Heart Sports Coalition to develop and implement the coalition's newest initiative, the "AEDs For Youth" program, aimed at providing affordable AEDs and CPR training for K-12 school and youth sports organizations nationwide.
"We've done incredible things to innovate the space of sudden cardiac arrest, and I am unbelievably proud of all of that work," Berkman said. "But the truth is that all of the work that we do would not be successful were it not for partnerships with organizations like the Make Them Know Your Name Foundation. Because the Make Them Know Your Name Foundation is here in Cleveland, and knows the community, and knows the people, and knows the individuals who are suffering, and has the ability to reach out and has the ability to leverage relationships – like with the Browns and with others – to be able to raise awareness around the issue of sudden cardiac arrest. And nothing that we can do at Avive from an innovation standpoint can possibly replace the unbelievably hard work and dedication that comes from foundations like Make Them Know Your Name."
The Browns were also gifted an AED for their community vehicle, which is used at a variety of events throughout the Cleveland community ranging from youth football programming to school visits and other community relations events. Nicole Ward presented Vice President of Community Relations Jenner Tekancic with the AED.
"The Cleveland Browns are so thrilled to work with non-profit organizations and players who care so much about our community, the young lives that we can touch, the parents, the coaches and so many other individuals who need our support," Tekancic said.
