From One Save to a Safer Community: Louisville Neighborhood Receives Public AED
When Trey Mobley suffered sudden cardiac arrest while working out at Louisville’s Lakeside Swim Club, the quick actions of those around him helped save his life. A bystander and Lakeside staff immediately began CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) before emergency medical services arrived.
For Trey and his wife, Karen Sheets-Mobley, the experience reinforced just how important it is to have AEDs readily accessible and people willing to act in a cardiac emergency. It also inspired Karen to think about how she could help make her own community safer.
On October 10, that commitment became a reality as the Mobleys joined community members and lifesaving advocates to celebrate the installation of a new publicly accessible ZOLL AED in Louisville’s busy Belknap neighborhood.
The dedication, held during the annual Belknap Fall Festival, marked the culmination of Karen’s participation in “The Next Great SaveStation® AED Location” contest, a national initiative launched in 2025 by the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, SaveStation® and ZOLL Medical to help expand community access to lifesaving AEDs.
One Strategic Location. Thousands of People Better Protected.
Inspired by her husband’s rescue and survival, Karen entered the contest with a vision that extended well beyond her own family. She nominated the Belknap Neighborhood Association and identified The Douglass Loop, a bustling gathering place in Louisville’s Belknap neighborhood, as an ideal location for a publicly accessible AED.
Surrounded by hundreds of residences, shops, restaurants, and exercise studios, The Douglass Loop is also a hub for community activities, including the annual Belknap Fall Festival, which draws thousands of visitors. Families, students, walkers, runners, and cyclists regularly pass through the area. Karen recognized that placing an AED at this busy crossroads could help protect countless people for years to come.
Her thoughtful nomination was selected as the winner, bringing a donated ZOLL AED 3® housed in a climate-controlled, monitored SaveStation® Tower to the neighborhood, accessible to the public 24/7.
The ZOLL AED 3 features Real CPR Help® technology, providing step-by-step audio and visual prompts and real-time corrective feedback to help bystanders deliver high-quality CPR. It also guides users through defibrillation when needed, helping everyday people confidently take lifesaving action before emergency medical services arrive.
What began with one family’s experience has now become a lasting resource for an entire community, demonstrating how one person’s determination to make a difference can have an impact far beyond their immediate circle.
Celebrating Everyday Lifesavers
The October 10 dedication reunited Trey and Karen with those who helped save his life, alongside representatives from the Belknap Neighborhood Association, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, SaveStation and ZOLL Medical. The celebration included a ribbon-cutting, AED demonstrations and hands-only CPR instruction for festival attendees.
The event also reinforced the message behind ZOLL’s Anything Can Happen. Anyone Can Help™ public education campaign: Sudden cardiac arrest can happen without warning, but access to an AED can empower everyday bystanders to make a lifesaving difference. Quick-thinking bystanders and access to an AED helped save Trey’s life. Inspired by that experience, Karen has now helped bring the same lifesaving technology within reach of thousands more people in her community.
Learn how you can protect your community: https://anyonecanhelp.com/prepare-your-community/