A campaign to help save infant lives is underway in Minnesota, training and preparing hundreds of soon-to-be families.

The American Heart Association is sharing nearly 1,000 Infant CPR Anytime Training Kits with several agencies across the state. These kits equip families with the tools and knowledge to be prepared for an emergency.

One organization benefiting from this push is Minnesota Community Care on St. Paul’s East Side.

“The community needs this information in order for us to save lives, change lives and keep our babies safe,” said Kindra McGee with Minnesota Community Care.

McGee is the director of the health group’s D.I.V.A. (Dynamic, Involved, Valued, African-American) Moms program, helping soon-to-be mothers get ready for their newborns.

“We give this to moms so that they can take it home,” McGee said about the kits. “They can practice so that when you are in a life-saving situation, then you have already practiced, you know exactly what you need to do.”

According to the AHA, more than 7,000 children suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year in the U.S. The agency also reports that only about 6.5% of children younger than 1 year old survive and are released from the hospital.

A remarkable story of survival for twins who were unexpectedly born six months into Dana Rogney’s pregnancy highlights the importance of knowing infant CPR.

“They were doing really well, especially considering how they started out,” Rogney said about her now-3-year-old twins James and Vera.

Rogney gave birth to her twins in the bathroom after waking up in pain in the middle of the night. Leaning on her experience in early childhood education, Rogney knew what to do and encourages everyone to do the same.

“They were discolored and not breathing,” Rogney said about her twins. “And that’s when I kind of just went with autopilot and ended up helping them breathe and resuscitating them.”

Rogney says doctors have told her what she did saved her children’s lives.

If you’d like to learn more about how to learn infant CPR, Minnesota Community Care says to reach out online to request an appointment.

“The community needs this information in order for us to save lives, change lives and keep our babies safe,” McGee said.