A pickleball game nearly killed a Rotary Club of North Fulton member two years ago. Bystanders who knew CPR and grabbed a nearby defibrillator kept him alive until paramedics arrived. That save launched a free training program that has now certified more than 1,300 people in the Roswell area, and the club is expanding it across North Georgia with a $5,000 Wellstar Health System grant.

The club announced the expansion on Tuesday, July 21, in a post on the Rotary District 6900 website. Under the new initiative, the Rotary Club of North Fulton will pay to certify one or two members from any interested Rotary club in District 6900 as American Red Cross CPR instructors. The Wellstar grant covers the $350 to $500 certification cost per person. Participating clubs would only need to cover the basic CPR course fee, typically $25 to $80.

Instructor certification takes roughly eight to 10 hours, according to the club. Once certified, those members can run their own free community classes, replicating the 75-minute format North Fulton has used over the past two years.

The growth has been rapid. A September 2025 Rotary newsletter put the program's trained-resident count at 893. Ten months later, the club reports more than 1,300 people trained.

The club said it will also connect new programs with local fire departments and provide ongoing support to help other clubs get started.

The need is real in Roswell. On Nov. 19, 2025, a driver suffered a cardiac arrest and crashed on Holcomb Bridge Road near Warsaw Road. Bystanders performed CPR until first responders arrived, and the driver survived. "This is a powerful example of why learning CPR is so important," Mayor Kurt Wilson said in December 2025 after that rescue. "Anyone can be the first link in the Chain of Survival, and that action can make all the difference."

Marc Gelber is coordinating the expansion for the Rotary Club of North Fulton. Residents or organizations interested in the program can reach him at (770) 856-9509 or [email protected].