SOUTHWICK – The Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District received an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) during Tuesday night’s school committee meeting.
KEVS Foundation, the non-profit organization that promotes awareness for sudden cardiac arrest, donated the AED to the district.
The Health Careers Club at Southwick Regional School is raising money to purchase a code-blue light system to be installed at the high school track. The system would immediately alert the Southwick Police Department of an emergency once the button on the system is pushed. Part of this project, includes having an AED on the track as well and KEVS Foundation had agreed to donate one to the project.
The donation of this AED marks at least the fourth time that KEVS Foundation has done so for the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District. In June 2017, a faculty member at the Southwick Regional School had a medical emergency and needed the assistance of an AED. Fellow staff and faculty used an AED previously donated by KEVS Foundation to save the individual’s life.
Susan Canning (left) of KEVS Foundation and Arden Massoia, Jackie Seddon, and Marcia Lamoreaux of the Health Careers Club speak with Superintendent Jen Willard. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Co-founder of KEVS Foundation, Susan Canning, is proud of the commitment the school district has had towards this issue.
“They understand the importance,” said Canning. “I think it’s absolutely awesome that they’re involved and they understand the necessity of these (AED) units.”
Canning helped create KEVS Foundation due to a sudden cardiac arrest directly affecting her family. In 2011, her son, Kevin Major, died suddenly at 19-years-old from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in which the heart becomes thickened and isn’t able to pump blood properly.
Marcia Lamoreaux, the nurse at Southwick Regional School and one of the staff members at the aid of the person who was experiencing an emergency in 2017, supervises the Health Careers Club. Lamoreaux is pleased to work so positively with KEVS Foundation.
“We really appreciate this,” said Lamoreaux. “It’s nice to have that relationship.”
Jackie Seddon, a student in the Health Careers Club, was grateful for the donation of the AED.
“It’s important to have the AED on the track, the athletic fields, and the whole community can use it,” said Seddon.
On July 1, Senate Bill 2449 now requires every school in Massachusetts to have an AED at every school-sponsored event, including athletic events.
The code-blue light system costs $7,500 and the Health Careers Club has raised $6,700 from hosting fundraising events such as a 5k run and walk and car washes. They have also received money from the towns of Southwick, Tolland, and Granville, along with a donation from the Southwick Regional School Class of 2017. The remaining $800 left to raise has been solved as the school committee has agreed to donate that remaining amount.
