HARRISON COUNTY, Ind. — An anonymous donor in Harrison County purchased five automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for all the baseball and softball fields in the county.
A selfless act, that could save a life.
"I've been around this county for a long time, I'm a lifelong citizen of this county, and we have a lot of individuals who keep philanthropy in mind," Harrison County EMS Director Jeremy McKim said. "That's one thing about our community that's very rewarding, is that we have individuals who are willing to make donations like this."
The AED donation, worth $13,475 dollars, is for nonprofit organizations in Harrison County.
"That can become quite cumbersome for them, so this was a great opportunity for them to get those devices," McKim said.
Local organizations expressed their gratitude for the equipment, that helps ensure the safety of their kids.
"When these kids come out to play, we want them to have a great time; you never want someone to experience the worst day of your life, so, having a tool there and an ease of access is just so incredible," Jaren Decker, the president of South Harrison Athletic Corp., said. "We work for the kids and the community; we want to make sure they're having a great time and having that ease of access and help – just in case it is needed – is incredible."
According to the American Heart Association, 9 out of 10 cardiac arrest victims who receive a shock from an AED in the first five minutes live.
The AEDs donated to Harrison County are the same ones used in all the fire departments, making the process faster and smoother for EMS.
"What you guys would start out there on the field, we can just take that and hook it to our monitors once the ambulance gets there and go on to continue care," McKim said.
A generous gift, donated anonymously, that keeps kids doing what they love.
"Thank you," McKim said. "There are no other words besides thank you."
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.