The Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota Community will donate 21 Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) to 10 different organizations, eight of them in the local area. Seven AEDs will go to the Scott County Sheriff's Office.

AEDs are used to apply a lifesaving shock to an individual whose heart has stopped beating. Defibrillation is the only known therapy for most sudden cardiac arrests, according to the American Heart Association.

The donation will put the lifesaving devices in the hands of personnel who are often the first on the scene of a cardiac emergency. The donation is valued at approximately $21,300.

The following will receive one AED each: Marystown Catholic Church (Shakopee), American Indian OIC (Minneapolis), Our Lady of the Prairie Church and School (Belle Plaine), Valley Family Practice (Chaska), Victoria Elementary School (Victoria), and the New Prague Police Department (New Prague). Two AEDs were donated to the Jordan Fire Department in October.