Wear Red for Women recently gave an automated external defibrillator (AED) to Heard Memorial Club House.

An AED is a small, lightweight device that allows individuals and first responders to treat sudden cardiac arrest. The machine automatically analyzes the heart rhythm and when appropriate, it delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restore its normal rhythm.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 15 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in a public location. Therefore public access to an AED and community training play a large role in early defibrillation.

Funds to purchase the device were raised during the 2024 Wear Red for Women luncheon and auction. The committee’s goal is to have AEDs in every place people work, learn, play or pray in Sedalia and Pettis County. Since the inception of the luncheon event in 2020, nearly 100 AEDs have been placed in or committed to various locations. The 2025 Wear Red for Women event is February 28, 2025.