Philanthropist William Mahler shares an extraordinary passion for children’s education and health. For nearly three decades, William Mahler has been a prominent supporter and advocate for the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and its Herma Heart Institute, the largest children’s heart medical center in Wisconsin. The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin also coordinates the Project ADAM initiative, which works to prevent fatalities from sudden cardiac arrest through education and awareness.
Following the death of Wisconsin high school student Adam Lemal and several other student-athletes, the Children’s Hospital collaborated with family and friends to establish Project Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory (ADAM), which aims to save lives by screening student athletes of all ages and educating teachers, pediatricians, and coaches to recognize and respond appropriately to sudden cardiac arrest.
Project ADAM also distributes a checklist that enables school administrators to create and train an effective cardiac emergency team. This requires at least 10 percent of on-site staff to be qualified in delivering CPR and AED-supported defibrillation. Since the program was implemented in 1999, more than 50 students have been saved at schools across the country.
