‘Keep The Beat Alive’ with The American Heart Association’s 2017 Rose Parade Float

Heart Heroes and cardiac arrest survivors come together to promote heart health and encourage others to learn the lifesaving skill of CPR. This year’s Union Bank and the American Heart Association’s Western States Division’s float is called “Keep the Beat Alive.” The Float celebrates youth who saved lives through CPR, cardiac arrest survivors and the passage of a new California law that will provide lifesaving CPR training to thousands of high school students each year.

“A lot of people think that CPR is too hard to learn or something that they can’t do,” said Madi Giese, who learned CPR through the Junior Lifeguard Program, and used her skills to save a girl who had collapsed on the tennis court. “No matter how old or how young you are – you can do something to save a life.”

The 14,000 pound float includes a heart-shaped DJ booth where Ilisa Juried, a Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter/dancer/actor, will appear. Her original song has a rhythm of 100 beats per minute – the recommended compression rate for CPR administration – and local high school students will perform a specially choreographed dance along the parade route.

“I think it’s important for people to know that [CPR] doesn’t have to be mouth-to-mouth, hands only CPR can save lives,” said Juried who survived cardiac arrest at age 18 because a bystander administered CPR.

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 90 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. CPR, especially if performed immediately and effectively, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to join with the American Heart Association to help celebrate the thousands of lifesavers the new hands-only CPR training in high schools will create in communities throughout California,” said Pierre P. Habis, head of Union Bank Consumer Banking and Enterprise Marketing.

The 128th Rose Parade presented by Honda will take place on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena. This year’s theme, “Echoes of Success,” celebrates individuals, organizations and institutions that help others achieve success.