Protecting Young Athletes Starts With Being Prepared
Atlanta, Georgia — April 7th, 2026 — RCX Sports Foundation and ZOLL® Renew Commitment to Expand “Anyone Can Help” AED Grant Program for Youth Sports. RCX Sports Foundation, the non-profit arm of RCX Sports dedicated to developing, promoting, and implementing diversity and inclusion in youth sports, today announced the renewal of its partnership with ZOLL® Medical, a global leader in medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives. As part of its Anything Can Happen. Anyone Can Help.™ education campaign, ZOLL Medical continues as the Official Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Partner of the RCX Sports Foundation.
To ensure that youth athletes across the country have access to life-saving emergency care when it matters most and raise awareness around sudden cardiac arrest preparedness across youth sports communities nationwide, the organizations are expanding the “Anyone Can Help” AED Grant Program for 2026.
The RCX Sports Foundation and ZOLL will donate 25 AEDs to non-profit youth sports organizations operating RCX youth leagues across the country, helping ensure leagues, coaches, and families are better prepared to respond to cardiac emergencies on the field. The AEDs will be distributed through a grant application process based on need among communities nationwide, with applications open from March 30 through May 17, 2026. Recipients will be announced during the first week of June in recognition of National CPR and AED Awareness Week.
“Safety is central to the youth sports experience, and preparedness can save lives,” said Izell Reese, CEO of RCX Sports. “Our continued partnership with ZOLL® is focused on expanding access to the life-saving equipment and education that youth leagues need to respond in critical moments. Programs like the Anyone Can Help AED Grant empower coaches, parents, and communities to act quickly when it matters most.”
RCX Sports Foundation and ZOLL will also expand the program’s impact through education and awareness initiatives, including a national webinar on sudden cardiac arrest preparedness and emergency response in youth sports on April 29. The session will feature Matt Mangine, a leading advocate for cardiac safety in youth athletics, and will provide league operators, coaches, and families with practical guidance on emergency preparedness. Webinar attendees will also have the opportunity to win an AED unit in a live raffle.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains a leading cause of death among young athletes and parents have a false sense of security in team preparedness According to the American Heart Association, approximately 63 youth die each day in the United States due to sudden cardiac arrest. However, survival rates can exceed 90% when an AED and an emergency action plan are readily available. Additionally, recent Harris Poll data on behalf of ZOLL demonstrates that parents overestimate the safeguards in youth sports with half (50%) believing that all youth sports teams have access to a team AED, even though most U.S. states do not specifically mandate one.
In youth sports, the people on the sidelines are often the first to respond,” said Lori Peters, Associate Director, Advocacy & Partnerships at ZOLL. “By placing AEDs on fields and courts, we’re giving coaches, parents, and teammates the confidence to step in and help save a life. With real-time coaching and clear guidance, AEDs support high-quality CPR and can help restore a heartbeat before EMS arrives. That’s what makes them true game changers.
The renewed partnership builds on a successful first year of collaboration between the RCX Sports Foundation and ZOLL, which included donating 25 AEDs to youth sports organizations across 16 states, engaging youth sports operators at the NFL FLAG Summit through on-site education and resources, and providing preferred pricing on AEDs for RCX league operators.
Organizations interested in applying for an AED through the ‘Anyone Can Help’ AED Grant Program can learn more and submit applications here.
About RCX Sports Foundation
The RCX Sports Foundation is the non-profit arm of RCX Sports, dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusion, and access in youth sports. By providing safe, welcoming opportunities, the foundation works to ensure no child is denied the lifelong benefits of sports. For more information, visit rcxfoundation.org.
About ZOLL®
ZOLL® , an Asahi Kasei company, develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and cardiac monitoring, circulation enhancement and CPR feedback, supersaturated oxygen therapy, data management, ventilation, therapeutic temperature management, and sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment, ZOLL® provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, as well as lay rescuers, improve patient outcomes in critical cardiopulmonary conditions. For more information, visit www.zoll.com.