As most of you already know, heart health is near and dear to the core of Breckenridge Grand Vacations. It’s one of the ways we honor the legacy of our partner and brother, the late Rob Millisor, who left us way too soon because of an undiagnosed heart problem.  That tragic moment eventually gave rise to BGV Gives, our company’s philanthropic branch, and the annual Rob Millisor (RAM) Heart Health Walk that now takes place each June at Carter Park here in town.

It is through this event that we have raised more than $530,000, 100% of which goes to heart health programs in our community, including free heart health screenings at the hospital, education, and grants for the High Altitude Research Center that studies the effects of living at this altitude.

So, you may be wondering what this has to do with your ownership. Well…

Several months ago, we became inspired by the Town of Breckenridge to take a leadership role in a collaborative community effort to increase the number of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) around Breckenridge and Summit County that can be accessed by the public in case of an emergency. Summit County EMS maintains a registry of the AEDs, but we now know that all of them may not have been included in this registry. Along with other groups, we are going to identify where all the AEDs in the community are so the registry can be accurately updated. Once that is completed, the Summit County GIS (geographic information system) will map the location of all the AEDs. From this map, we’ll be able to see where the gaps are, and work together with other groups to provide grant money (from our Heart Health Fund) to purchase more AEDs. What’s really cool about this is that once the AED map is completed, the dispatchers who answer 911 calls will have a newly updated list to use to be able to tell any caller where the closest AED is located, and this of course, can be truly life-saving to someone having a heart attack.

After an article appeared in our local newspaper, a CBS news reporter stopped by to interview Mike (Dudick) about this program. You can watch the clip here.

The story was also covered by Summit County’s local newspaper, the Summit Daily News, read the stories here and here.

We are really proud to be a part of this initiative that will create a safer place for you and your family in your vacation hometown. While all of our resorts have AEDs in the appropriate places on property, and we certainly hope you are never in need of one, we believe you will find comfort in knowing that more will be available if you or a loved one ever does.

So, cheers to your health! And as always, we hope to see you soon again in Breckenridge.

Mike and Mike