APPLETON, Wis. (July 10, 2026) — Michael Bergmann, president of Ascension Wisconsin, is serving as chair of the Fox Cities Heart Walk for the second consecutive year, leading a year-round effort to engage local companies and community members in raising critical funds and expanding CPR education to help improve cardiac arrest outcomes across northeast Wisconsin.
According to the American Heart Association, 9 in 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, and more than half do not receive bystander CPR. When performed immediately, CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival, highlighting the critical need for greater awareness, training and preparedness throughout northeast Wisconsin.
Heart 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 Walk aims to make CPR education and training more accessible, fund vital research and drive equitable health for all.
Through Bergmann’s leadership, top executives in northeast Wisconsin are working to recruit other organizations to join the local Heart Walk campaign and help build a community of lifesavers.
“Cardiac arrest can strike anyone at any time, and the outcome often comes down to whether someone nearby knows what to do,” Bergmann said. “We envision at least one person in every household feeling confident to perform CPR. By joining Heart Walk, local employers can help ensure that when it matters most, their employees are prepared 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.
Fox Cities Heart Walk participants will have the opportunity to learn how to perform Hands-Only CPR, among other activities.
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 Fox Cities Heart Walk will take place on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Fox Valley Technical College (1825 North Bluemound Drive in Appleton). The event returns to the campus for the first time since 2019.
An estimated 300 participants are expected to walk in celebration of local survivors and the lifesaving progress made in northeast Wisconsin. Sponsors include Ascension, Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, ThedaCare, Boldt, Gold Cross Ambulance Service Inc. and Prevea Health.
Companies interested in participating can contact Tracy Duerr at Tracy.Duerr@Heart.org.
Learn more and register at NortheastWisconsinHeartWalk.org.
# # #
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
Travis Sloan: Travis.Sloan@Heart.org
For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)
heart.org and stroke.org
