American Heart Association names Blackbaud its Community Health Sponsor
November 7, 2019
The American Heart Association (AHA) announced that Blackbaud, the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good, has been named as the organization’s community health sponsor, after receiving a generous donation that will help save lives throughout the Lowcountry. Blackbaud believes the world will be a better place when good takes over, and as part of that higher purpose, the cloud software company is passionate about making local investments in its home communities that drive impact and improve the lives of underrepresented minorities. Charleston has been the home of Blackbaud’s global headquarters for the past 30 years.
“We’re proud to work with the American Heart Association to improve access to, and quality of, primary care here in the Lowcountry,” said Mike Gianoni, president and CEO, Blackbaud. “At Blackbaud, we are continually looking for ways to invest in the communities where our employees live and work – our donation to the American Heart Association here in Charleston is a perfect example of that commitment.”
Nationally, every year, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital and more than 20 percent occur in public places like airports, casinos, sporting facilities and workplaces. Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in women. And, in South Carolina, 92.4% of people don’t survive cardiac arrest. Through its donation, Blackbaud is working to combat these statistics. One of the ways it will do that is by increasing the accessibility of potentially lifesaving training through the installation of the first Hands-Only CPR training kiosk in South Carolina. Hands-Only CPR education will be available at the kiosk and helps users understand how they can immediately help a person who experiences a cardiac emergency outside of a hospital.
“We are so thankful to have the support of local companies like Blackbaud as we work together to improve heart health in the Lowcountry,” said Katie Schumacher, Executive Director of the Charleston American Heart Association. “The donation from Blackbaud is going to benefit so many people who might otherwise not have the education needed to save a life.”
In early 2020, the American Heart Association will place the kiosk at the Charleston International Airport to teach the general public this lifesaving skill. Additional details will be available in early 2020.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. As part of our dedication to save lives, we are setting out to train all Americans in lifesaving Hands-Only CPR. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.
About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good. Serving the entire social good community—nonprofits, foundations, companies, education institutions, healthcare organizations and individual change agents—Blackbaud connects and empowers organizations to increase their impact through cloud software, services, expertise and data intelligence. The Blackbaud portfolio is tailored to the unique needs of vertical markets, with solutions for fundraising and CRM, marketing, advocacy, peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate social responsibility, school management, ticketing, grantmaking, financial management, payment processing and analytics. Serving the industry for more than three decades, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, and has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
