By Champions of the Heart  |  April 12, 2026

What would you do if someone collapsed in front of you right now?

It’s a question most of us hope we never have to answer — but cardiac arrest doesn’t wait for the right moment. It can happen anywhere: in a car, at a race finish line, on a college campus. And in those first critical minutes before EMS arrives, the person standing nearest to the victim is often the only thing standing between life and death.

On April 12, 2026, Champions of the Heart — in partnership with Corewell Health and Grand Valley State University — trained more than 150 members of the GVSU community in hands-only CPR. The event, held at the Kelly Family Sports Center, is part of our ongoing mission to put life-saving skills in the hands of everyday people, completely free of charge.

A Survivor Who Became a Teacher

Champions of the Heart was founded by Mike Garland — a former Michigan State University assistant basketball coach who survived a cardiac arrest just two weeks into his retirement in 2022. While driving, his heart stopped. Two bystanders stepped in and performed CPR. They saved his life.

Garland had no prior warning. No history of heart problems. No medications.

“I never took a medication a day in my life. I had no health issues. I was as strong as I had been in my life.”

— Mike Garland, Founder, Champions of the Heart

Today, Garland channels that experience into action. Since founding Champions of the Heart, he and his team have provided free CPR training, manikins, and AEDs to communities throughout Michigan — because he knows firsthand that the skills two strangers had that day are the reason he’s still here.

The Alarming Reality of Cardiac Arrest in America

The numbers are sobering. Every year in the United States, more than 350,000 people experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest — and only about 1 in 10 survive. Despite those odds, bystanders perform CPR only 40% of the time, and use an AED less than 10% of the time.

Why so low? Often, it comes down to fear. Fear of doing it wrong. Fear of making things worse. Fear of the unknown.

That’s exactly what training addresses. As D.F. Arnold, GVSU’s associate athletic director for student-athlete engagement and development, put it at the April 12 event: the more prepared you are, the less that fear controls you — and the more likely you are to act.

What Participants Learned at the GVSU Training

At the April 12 event, 150+ GVSU community members walked away knowing how to:

• Recognize the signs of cardiac arrest
• Take immediate, decisive action
• Perform hands-only CPR effectively
• Locate and use an AED if one is available

These are skills that can be learned in under an hour — and retained for a lifetime.

Real People. Real Reasons. Real Impact.

Every person at a Champions of the Heart training carries their own reason for being there.

Debra Yake, a retired University of Michigan trainer in adult cardiac life support, volunteered at the GVSU event. She became passionate about CPR after her grandfather died of cardiac arrest at a restaurant in Detroit — in a room full of people who didn’t know what to do.

“It’s the minutes before EMS can get there that hands-only CPR can truly save a life.”

— Debra Yake, CPR Volunteer Trainer

Bonnie VanKampen, a runner preparing for the Fifth Third Bank Riverbank Run, came to the training because she’d heard of cardiac events happening on race courses. She wanted to be ready — not just for herself, but for the runner beside her.

This is exactly who CPR training is for. Not just healthcare workers. Not just coaches or athletic trainers. Everyone.

Why Champions of the Heart Makes It Free

Cost and access should never be the reason someone can’t learn CPR. That belief is at the core of everything Champions of the Heart does.

We provide free hands-only CPR training, CPR manikins, and AEDs to communities in need across Michigan — because we believe that every person deserves the chance to be a lifesaver, and every community deserves to be prepared.

Mike Garland put it simply: despite a coaching career that included 19 NCAA Tournament appearances, 10 Big Ten Championships, six Big Ten Tournament titles, seven Final Fours, and one National Championship, the work he’s doing now means more.

“I had quite a successful basketball coaching career, but it’s nothing compared to what I’m doing now.”

— Mike Garland, Founder, Champions of the Heart

Get Trained. Be Ready. Save a Life.

Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any time — to a healthy 68-year-old, a marathon runner, a college student. The two people who saved Mike Garland’s life weren’t medical professionals. They were bystanders who knew what to do.

You could be that person for someone else.

Champions of the Heart offers free CPR training events throughout Michigan. Find upcoming training opportunities and register today: Find a Free CPR Training Near You → thechampionsoftheheart.org/training