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(Maryville, IL) - Congressman John Shimkus, State Senator Frank C. Watson and Mayor Gary Niebur will join Save A Life Foundation's President and Founder, Carol Spizzirri, this Friday, January 14th, to present to EMS System Coordinator Eric Brandmeyer, Education Coordinator Geri Strohmeyer, RN, and Anderson Hospital Medical Director Christopher Cruz, M.D., an award for $25,000 that will initiate an SALF branch office to train the school children in Southern Illinois regions in life supporting first aid skills.

The Award will allow SALF's branch office, managed by Anderson Hospital's Emergency Department SALF Facilitator, Eric Brandmeyer, to further prepare Illinois schoolchildren, grades K-12, for emergencies by training them at no cost in basic life-supporting first aid skills (LSFA), including CPR and Heimlich maneuver. 

Congressman Shimkus, who successfully lobbied for federal funds through Centers for Disease Control to aid SALF's national and state expansion, said, "The training that SALF provides to schoolchildren could one day save a life.  I am fully supportive of their efforts to teach youth the basics of first aid and I am pleased that a new office will be able to reach residents of southwest Illinois".

"The linking of these two organizations will be a tremendous asset to the people in this area, and having SALF programs readily available, especially to our schoolchildren, will be truly beneficial to our entire community," said Mayor Niebur, former President of the Illinois Municipal League.  Niebur was instrumental in bringing in mayors from thirty surrounding cities to fuse a relationship with SALF and Anderson Hospital.

WHAT: SALF Grant Award Presentation

WHERE: Anderson Hospital, 6800 State Route 162 Maryville, Illinois

WHEN: January 14, 2005 at 10:30 a.m.