After relocating to Liberty Hill from Chicago more than a decade ago, Anna Rogers discovered she was required to obtain an updated certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation in order to continue her nursing career in Texas. When she couldn’t find anywhere nearby to acquire the certification, she decided on a different plan of action.

Rogers made a trip to Dallas to get certified and become an instructor, and in 2012, she launched Queen of Hearts CPR.

Why it matters

Today, Queen of Hearts is an American Heart Association-affiliated organization offering various life support certification opportunities, first aid training, babysitting entrepreneurship classes, and educational programs for individuals, businesses and schools.

Queen of Hearts is operated out of Rogers' home in Leander, however, she offers remote services to the northern Austin suburbs.

While Queen of Hearts offers multiple types of trainings, Rogers stressed the importance of knowing CPR.

"I believe that everybody should know CPR, at the very minimum, because it absolutely can save a life," she said. "The biggest thing is knowing how to do your compressions."

The impact

Rogers said she's proud of the role Queen of Hearts has grown to play in the Austin area.

The business has put on classes for several major corporations, such as Austin Energy, Cedar Park Regional Medical Center, Austin Community College and the Capital Area Council of Governments.

Rogers said Queen of Hearts has over 60 adult mannequins for demonstration purposes, which is “a big accomplishment” with equipment being so expensive. The availability of this equipment allows Rogers to put on larger classes and move through training more efficiently, she said.

Furthermore, Queen of Hearts partners each month with the American Red Cross to conduct local blood drives.

What’s next

Rogers said through Queen of Hearts, she hopes to reach more people in the community and work more with high school students in the future.

She also plans to focus on her newly formed nonprofit organization, Unchained Foundation, which is primarily sponsored by Queen of Hearts.

Unchained Foundation launched in February, and aims to provide solace and create lasting memories for families and individuals facing terminal illness, Rogers said.

“We are unchaining people from their everyday chaos to hopefully create tranquility, some peace [and] some respite in their life,” she said.