The life of this party is a CPR dummy named Annie

[Star Tribune, August 17, 2010] Combine the socializing of a Tupperware party with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training and you've got a "save-a-life" party. Save-a-life parties are designed to teach people to react quickly in emergencies, and, in particular, how to use CPR.

Save-a-life parties are more relaxed than CPR certification courses, which go for four hours and include a test. Participants also learn how to use AEDs -- portable electronic devices that can deliver electric shocks to normalize heart rhythms during sudden cardiac arrest.

It's part of a broader initiative called "Take Heart Minnesota," aimed at boosting the survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest victims. Anoka County was one of only four areas chosen across the country to test the program, implemented by Allina Hospitals and Clinics. The Spring Lake Park-Blaine-Mounds View Fire Department has been a model for the parties, a concept developed through Allina's Heart Safe Communities program.