Denzel Ward’s Make Them Know Your Name Foundation Partners with Avive Solutions to Donate Lifesaving AEDs to Cleveland Communities

CLEVELAND, OH – [October 14, 2024] – The Make Them Know Your Name Foundation (www.mtkyn.org), founded by Cleveland Browns star Denzel Ward, is proud to announce a new partnership with Avive Solutions, Inc. (http://avive.life) to equip the Cleveland, OH metro area with state-of-the-art Avive Connect AEDs. A leader in expanding heart health awareness and education in CPR and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in Northern Ohio since Ward’s arrival in the National Football League in 2018, Make Them Know Your Name (MTKYN) is committed to making Cleveland a safer place by donating over 100 Avive Connect AEDs to local nonprofits, community organizations, small businesses and houses of worship. The initiative represents a $150,000 investment in the health and safety of the Cleveland-area community, ensuring that these devices are available where and when they’re needed most.

Empowering the Cleveland Community with Seamless, Lifesaving Technology

Through its ongoing process of fielding AED donation requests from the community, MTKYN carefully reviews applications and selects organizations in the greatest need of lifesaving equipment. With Avive Solutions’ support, MTKYN will donate Avive Connect AEDs—innovative, connected defibrillators designed for faster, more efficient cardiac emergency response in a compact, smart device.This partnership aims to not only expand the number of AEDs in the local community, but also to further raise awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and the importance of CPR and AED training in local communities.

“We’ve always wanted to make an impact on the health and safety of the Cleveland community, where I grew up and still live and work today,” said Denzel Ward, Founder of MTKYN. “Partnering with Avive elevates our mission, ensuring that more people not only have access to AEDs but that these AEDs are smarter and more responsive, empowering people to act with confidence in a crisis.”

Enhancing Cardiac Preparedness Across the Region

Nicole Ward, Executive Director of MTKYN, added: “Since we lost my husband – Denzel’s father – to Sudden Cardiac Arrest, our goal as a family and eventually as the Make Them Know Your Name Foundation has always been to provide people with the tools and knowledge they need to save lives. By bringing Avive’s cutting-edge AEDs to our community here in Cleveland, we are providing people and organizations in our community with the best technology available, while continuing to advocate for increased CPR and AED training on a large scale.”

The Avive Connect AED, featuring the groundbreaking QuickRescue™ technology, is transforming emergency response. As the first and only AED capable of automatically transmitting real-time data directly to 911 telecommunicators, QuickRescue™ unlocks critical, previously inaccessible information during the most crucial moments of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. This allows local first responders to be better prepared and respond faster. By partnering with Avive, MTKYN is enhancing the area’s access to these lifesaving devices, placing the Cleveland metro area at the forefront of community preparedness and leading efforts to combat the public health challenge of Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

A Shared Commitment to Saving Lives

“Avive Solutions is proud to join forces with Denzel Ward, Nicole Ward, and the Make Them Know Your Name Foundation,” said Sameer Jafri, CEO and Co-Founder of Avive Solutions. “MTKYN has accomplished so much in their community already, and we’re honored that they want to empower their community by donating Avive Connect AEDs. We share a common mission: to empower communities with the tools and education they need to save lives and increase Sudden Cardiac Arrest survival rates on a grand scale. Together, we’re making Ohio safer and better prepared to respond to cardiac emergencies. This is just the beginning, and we’re excited to expand this mission in the years ahead.”

Next Steps for Cleveland and Beyond

The partnership will kick off with an initial donation of 100 Avive Connect AEDs to key organizations across the Greater Cleveland area. Both organizations are committed to expanding this initiative, spreading awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and ensuring that lifesaving equipment is available when and where it’s needed most. In addition, both Make Them Know Your Name 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 schools and youth sports organizations nationwide.

For more information about the partnership between MTKYN and Avive, or to learn how your organization can request an AED, visit www.mtkyn.org or www.avive.life/mtkyn.

About The Make Them Know Your Name Foundation

Make Them Know Your Name (MTKYN) is a heart health foundation propelled by individuals and organizations willing to take action to positively impact the heart disease epidemic. Denzel Ward and his family experienced first-hand the unexpected loss of their patriarch, Paul G. Ward Jr., to cardiac arrest while he participated in a spin class. He was 46 years old. His premature death left behind a purpose and a legacy to carry on. MTKYN has a mission to spread resources, education, and awareness for heart health and CPR/AED training within the Cleveland community and beyond. Visit MTKYN.org for more details.

About Avive Solutions, Inc.

Avive Solutions, Inc. is a Brisbane, CA-based company dedicated to developing state-of-the-art Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) designed to be accessible, intuitive, and effective in saving lives during Sudden Cardiac Arrest emergencies. Avive’s mission is to ensure that lifesaving AED technology is available in every community across the nation. Learn more at https://avive.life.

Media Contacts:

Sarah Edenfield
Make Them Know Your Name
info@mtkyn.org

Kyle Noble
Avive Solutions, Inc.
kyle@avive.life