Sixty years ago this month, following the atrocities of World War II, nations of the world convened in Switzerland to revise and expand upon wartime protections granted in earlier treaties. The Geneva Conventions resulted, which articulated safeguards for those who were not actively engaged in fighting: the wounded, civilians, and prisoners of war.

MARK WHITING Imagine two jumbo jets crashing and killing all on board. That’s about how many people die nationwide every day from sudden cardiac arrest outside of the hospital. Now, imagine bystanders with the power to save some of those lives—literally at their fingertips. That’s the power of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the Automated External Defibrillator, or AED. By learning some safe and simple skills anyone can go from being a helpless bystander to a person who is trained, empowered, and prepared to take action in an emergency.

—PETER MARONEY, Richmond chapter board member “. . . if I were trapped in a house fire, I would want someone like Reggie at my side to help me find the way out alive.“ The American Red Cross is in Reggie Gordon’s blood.