ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., November 10, 2025 — According to the American Heart Association, 9 in 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of the hospital die, and more than half don’t receive bystander CPR. CPR — especially if performed immediately — can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. To help improve cardiac arrest outcomes in Orange County, Tim Schaefer, Director of Preconstruction, Technology Division at Rosendin, will chair the 2026 Orange County Heart and Stroke Walk, leading a year-round effort to rally companies and community members to raise critical funds and expand CPR education.

Heart and Stroke Walk is the largest community-facing initiative of the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere. Through fundraising, community education and corporate engagement, Heart and Stroke Walk aims to make CPR education and training more accessible, fund vital research and drive equitable health for all. Under Schaefer’s leadership, top executives in Orange County will work to recruit other organizations to join the local Heart Walk campaign and help build a community of lifesavers.

“In early 2023, I realized that cardiovascular disease could affect anyone, even me,” said Schaefer, a cardiac survivor. “I was one of the fortunate ones to catch it before it led to cardiac arrest. Too often, survival comes down to whether someone nearby knows what to do. Our goal is to ensure at least one person in every household feels confident performing CPR. By joining the Heart and Stroke Walk, Orange County employers can help make sure that, when it matters most, their employees are ready to act during a cardiac emergency.”

According to the Heart Association’s 2024 CPR Perceptions Survey, 39% of people — or approximately 103 million U.S. adults — now feel “extremely confident” or “very confident” they could correctly perform CPR, up from 33% in 2021. That’s roughly 17.7 million more adults who are highly confident in their ability to conduct CPR, yet 61% still lack high confidence to act in a cardiac emergency.

“While we’re extremely proud of the progress that’s been made over the last several years, our work is far from over,” said Ryan Lahti Orange County/Inland Empire Board Chair and Managing Principal of OrgLeader, LLC. “Tim’s commitment to making Orange County a safer, stronger community is proof he is the right person for the role. We’re looking forward to seeing incredible results from this year’s Heart Walk campaign and hope the community will join us in making it a success.”

The Heart Association is a global leader in resuscitation science, education and training, and the official publisher of CPR guidelines. Through the Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, the Association is working to ensure that more people are ready to perform CPR and be a vital link in the chain of survival, supporting its goal of doubling the survival rate from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by 2030.

The Orange County Heart and Stroke Walk will take place on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  An estimated 10,000 participants are expected to walk in celebration of local survivors and the lifesaving progress made in Orange County. Companies interested in participating can contact local Heart and Stroke Walk Director Taelor Lewis at Taelor.Lewis@heart.org. Learn more and register at OCHeartWalk.org.

 

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About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

 

For Media Inquiries: 214-706-1173

Daniel Ruacho daniel.ruacho@heart.org 
 

For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)

heart.org and stroke.org