ST. THOMAS, Ont. Sterling’s manufacturing plant in St. Thomas, Ont. recently made a $20,000 donation to support the teaching of CPR in local high schools.

Sterling, with the support of Freightliner, will help provide resources to community schools for the implementation of the Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) CPR program, to help ensure it becomes a self-sustaining program in the future. Sterling is partnering in this endeavor with the ACT Foundation of Canada, the provincial government and local businesses.

The lifesaving initiative will be offered to all high schools in the St.Thomas, London, Middlesex, Elgin, and Oxford County areas with the goal of educating every student on cardiovascular disease prevention and the importance of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Students also will be trained in CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. The initiative will result in about 8,600 newly trained CPR providers in the community.

“This positive endeavour will benefit our children enrolled in the local schools and provide a safety enhancement for our citizens,” said John Thompson, human resources manager at the Sterling plant. “We are very excited to be a part of this program and believe it will be a great asset to our community.”