• by Larissa Faw , February 16, 2019

Spark Foundry is introducing "Spark Saves," a new company-wide initiative to train staffers in CPR. The first sessions kick off June 1 during National CPR and AED Awareness Week.

The event will be held during regular business hours and the agency will track participation through a heart-shaped graphic that increasingly becomes shaded to indicate how many employees have been trained. This graphic will be shared internally as well as periodically across its social pages. 

This project first began with Spark Foundry CEO Chris Boothe, through his involvement as a vice chairman of the 2019 Chicago Heart Ball. In talking with employees about corporate programs, Boothe heard many express a desire to do something that is more long-term than a "one-off" community event, and more hands-on than simply making a donation. 

As a result, Boothe sought suggestions from agency employees and given the statistics around heart health — 10,000 of those cardiac arrests occur in the workplace — CPR training felt like a natural fit. It also aligns well with Spark’s rallying cry, “Bring Your Heart,” which asks employees to bring their “superpowers” to work every day.

"What’s more powerful than being able to save a life?" asks Spark Foundry’s CMO Scott Hess. "We think programs like these have been part of why we’ve become such a magnet for talent in the industry. It’s fun to work here. It matters to us not just as workers having a career, but as people living meaningful lives."

This program joins “Spark Serves,” an annual volunteer day of service where each office gives back to their local communities with their philanthropic activity of choice.

At present, this program is a Spark initiative only, but Hess says "we’d be more than happy" to share the program with others at parent company Publicis Groupe or its various networks.