Kaiser Permanente is sponsoring the event, which will be held at 14 metro area locations. More than 4,100 area citizens were certified during last year's training that serves to kickoff Red Cross Month.

The old Fayetteville County High School, 201 Lafayette Ave., will again serve as the Fayette County site. Classes will begin at 9 a.m. and will start periodically until the last class begins at 2 p.m. Classes take about four hours.

Kaiser Permanente is sponsoring the event for the third year in a row. D. Bruce Perry, medical director of the Southeast Permanente Medical Group/Kaiser Permanente, explained, "Our doctors know it's important for everyone to have the skills and information to take care of their own health. Life saving skills are even more important, and we here at Kaiser Permanente are excited about working with the Red Cross as a CPR Saturday sponsor."

Support for the event is also coming from WSB-TV Channel 2, Family2Family Proud Underwriters (SouthTrust Bank, A & P Food Markets, AirTouch Cellular, Emory Healthcare and Southwire). Chick-fil-A is providing food for volunteers and Emory Healthcare is also donating medical supplies.

According to Terry Hamrick, the CPR Saturday coordinator at the South Metro Red Cross Service Center, preregistration is not required but is encouraged. "If someone calls early they can register at a time most convenient to them," she explained. For registration information call the service center at 770-961-2552. For general information and a listing of all 14 metro Atlanta sites, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

"You need to know this...Here's your chance to learn CPR for free," is the Red Cross theme for this year's CPR Saturday. According to Hamrick, CPR is one of those things people say they want to do if they just had the time. "As our theme suggests, there's no time like now to do it," she said, then added, "Besides, you can't beat the price!"

Hamrick stressed that the few hours of time spent learning CPR could result in saving someone's life later by allowing immediate response to life-threatening respiratory and cardiac emergencies such as choking, drowning, or heart attack. Participants in the four-hour training will learn the techniques necessary to help sustain a life until medical help arrives.

(CPR Saturday information is available on the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross web site at http:www.redcross.org/atlanta. Visit the site for the latest releases and information.)

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