NORTH COAST, Calif. – Everyone should learn to save lives, regardless of the ability to pay. That’s the motivation behind CPR Saturday, the annual free training presented by the American Red Cross, serving Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties on Saturday, March 12.

Eleven counties from Mendocino to Palo Alto will host the event on the same day.

Participants who successfully complete the class, including hands-on and written testing, receive adult CPR certification from the Red Cross. The certificate is good for two years.

In Sonoma County, adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) classes in English will be offered at the Sebastopol Veterans Building, 282 S. High St., starting every hour on the hour from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The Red Cross is offering Adult and Child CPR for the last session beginning at 2 p.m. There also will be two classes in Spanish, at 8 a.m. and noon.

In Mendocino County, CPR Saturday will take place at the Alex Rorabaugh Center at 1640 S. State St. in Ukiah.

Lake County will be hosting CPR Saturday at the Lakeport Fire Station, 445 N. Main St. in

Lakeport. Times for classes in Ukiah and Lakeport are still being arranged.

Interested participants in those counties can go to www.arcsm.org or call 707-577-7603 for updated information.

The Red Cross offers CPR Saturday at no charge to help remove any barriers to those with lower incomes, people who have never taken CPR previously, and those who speak Spanish.

There is no upper or lower age limit for participants. In order to receive a certificate, all attendees

must be able to pass a written exam as well as the physical skills test, which includes kneeling on the floor and having enough upper body strength to compress the manikins' chests repeatedly.

Those who cannot kneel can still take the class, but they will not be able to be certified, as kneeling ability is essential for performing CPR in a wide variety of settings.

Participants in Sonoma County must pre-register for this event via email, telephone, or online by writing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by calling 707-577-7624, or by visiting www.arcsm.org .

They should be prepared to provide complete information (name, address, phone, time of class they prefer) when they call. Participants in Mendocino and Lake Counties can go to www.arcsm.org or call 707-577-7603 for updated registration information and class times.

More than 100 volunteers and instructors will help throughout the day. Kelsey Abbott, a student at Santa Rosa Junior College, is coordinating the event for the second year in a row.

Classes include a video followed by practice on manikins and finally, a written exam. The entire process takes approximately three hours.

Kaiser Permanente is, once again, a major sponsor to the event. Red Cross has also received in-kind support from the Sonoma County Regional Parks and Petaluma Auto Dealerships. Local businesses such as Clover Stornetta, Round Table Pizza of Sebastopol and Sierra Springs Water have generously donated food and beverages for the volunteers who will be working the event.

The CPR Saturday event held in Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties costs more than $9,000 to produce.

American Red Cross offers CPR classes throughout the year in both Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. However, CPR Saturday is the only time CPR certification is offered for free.

The usual cost for these classes is $50.

American Red Cross is a neutral, humanitarian organization that provides relief to victims of disasters, and prepares people to prevent and respond to emergencies.

Like all Red Cross chapters, the local chapter is self-sustaining and is funded by local contributions. All

assistance to disaster victims and to members of the armed forces provided by the chapter is free and made possible by voluntary donations of time and money by the people of Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties.

Donations can be made at www.arcsm.org, www.redcross.org, via mail to American Red Cross, 5297 Aero Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95403, or by phone at 707-577-7627 (Sonoma and Lake Counties), 707-463-0112 (Mendocino County).