A life-saving idea takes the field: The legacy of CPR NOW

Education

In the 1970s, Ewing Kauffman was inspired by the Red Cross’ cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) awareness campaign to start CPR Now, an in-house health and safety program at Marion Laboratories. Realizing that he had the opportunity to extend the reach of this life-saving program into the greater Kansas City community, he utilized then-Royals Stadium to teach thousands of Kansas Citians CPR whenever the team was out of town. With the help of the Red Cross, American Heart Association, and Marion Labs associate volunteers, the CPR NOW program trained nearly 125,000 people in a span of two years in the outfields of Royals Stadium. CPR NOW marked the first time Mr. Kauffman designed and operated a philanthropic program that collaborated with members of the greater Kansas City community to invest in a brighter, healthier future for all, affecting how the Foundation approaches its programs today.