Prepared to Act: Honoring Heroes in a Community Designed to Save Lives
This week, residents, first responders, and community leaders gathered in The Villages, one of the largest master-planned retirement communities in the United States, for the community’s inaugural AED-CPR Recognition Ceremony. Home to more than 130,000 residents, The Villages is nationally recognized for its commitment to emergency preparedness, with AEDs placed throughout public spaces and thousands of residents trained to respond when seconds matter.
At the center of the event was the presentation of ZOLL’s Heroes for Life Award to citizen rescuers Dennie and Kelly Llewellyn, whose swift response helped save the life of fellow resident Rich Kleinholz after he suffered sudden cardiac arrest at the Everglades Softball Complex last fall.
The event’s message was clear: lives are saved when communities are prepared and everyday people are empowered with AEDs to act.
When Kleinholz collapsed, that preparation mattered. With a ZOLL AED close at hand, Dennie and Kelly were supported by clear audio and visual guidance, empowering them to act quickly with CPR and help save Rich’s life. The device assessed his heart rhythm, delivered a lifesaving shock, and coached Dennie and Kelly step by step until emergency responders arrived.
That moment reflects how The Villages approaches emergency readiness more broadly.
- More than 1,300 AEDs are strategically placed throughout recreation centers, sports complexes, and shared spaces.
- Over 6,000 residents are trained in CPR and AED use, supported by PulsePoint, a neighborhood alert system that mobilizes nearby volunteers and locates AEDs during cardiac emergencies.
The result is the highest bystander response rate in the state of Florida, built through planning, access, and community participation.
The event also included live AED demonstrations that reinforced a simple truth: you don’t need to be a medical professional to help save a life. Public-access AEDs are designed to assess, instruct, and guide users in real time, helping everyday people stay calm and step up with confidence when it matters most. That commitment to preparedness was also extended beyond The Villages through the donation of a ZOLL AED, which will be passed along by the Llewellyns to Operation BBQ Relief, a nonprofit supporting communities facing crisis nationwide.
For all in attendance, the event left a lasting impression: when communities are prepared with accessible, findable AEDs and residents understand their purpose and use, everyone is better equipped to act in a cardiac emergency.
Looking to prepare your community? Click here to learn how AEDs and education can make a difference.
