Rotary Club Mayen assumes social responsibility
Mayen. Under the motto "Family and Health," Markus Schmitt, president of the Rotary Club Mayen for 2024/2025, shaped his term of office, which ended in June 2025. A key project was equipping Mayen's city center with automated external defibrillators (AEDs). A total of twelve locations were selected, including the Küster fashion house and the Mayen city library. The remaining locations are shown on an overview map.
In Germany, someone dies of sudden cardiac arrest every ten minutes. In an acute emergency, the first four minutes can mean the difference between life and death. Besides first aid provided by bystanders, it is primarily automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that can save lives. An AED must be easily accessible and quickly deployable in emergencies, because sudden cardiac arrest can occur anywhere – be it in a pedestrian zone, a shop, or at an event in the town square.
The Rotary Club Mayen, together with the city of Mayen and the relevant expert bodies, has identified twelve locations, extending from Habsburgring through the market square and Marktstraße to adjacent areas of the pedestrian zone. Instruction sessions and training courses for interested citizens are planned for the coming weeks to ensure that the devices can be used correctly in an emergency. Furthermore, all locations will be registered and published in the free CISALI emergency app. The goal is to establish a comprehensive system that can save lives.
Providing defibrillators is a worthwhile investment for Mayen in the safety of customers, employees, and all visitors to the city center. The strategic placement of the AEDs in easily accessible locations can bridge valuable minutes until the arrival of emergency services – minutes that significantly increase the chances of survival in the event of cardiac arrest.
The project has a total cost of approximately €32,000, of which €24,000 was financed through donations from the Rotary Club Mayen and a contribution from Rotary District 1810 as part of a grant project. The remaining sum of approximately €8,000 was financed through the City of Mayen's discretionary fund. This fund supports projects that create added value for the city center and is supported by Kreissparkasse Mayen, VR Bank RheinAhrEifel eG, the MY-Gemeinschaft (Mayen Business Association), the City of Mayen, and the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning.
Markus Schmitt, on behalf of the Rotary Club Mayen, would like to express his sincere thanks to all sponsors, homeowners, helpers and supporters for making this special project close to his heart possible.
“I also thank all the sponsors and the Rotary Club Mayen for providing funds for this cause. Saving lives – that concerns us all. Everyone can be affected, but everyone can also help,” summarizes Mayor Dirk Meid.
Caption: (Photo: Jacqueline Blang/ City of Mayen)
From left to right: Mayor Dirk Meid, Markus Schmitt, President of the Rotary Club Mayen 2024/2025, Christina Wolff from the Economic Development Office, Head of Department 1, Uwe Hoffmann and Bernd Faber from Faber Fachgroßhandel (responsible for the procurement of the AEDs) at the handover of an AED in front of the Küster fashion house
