Creston’s local insurance agents, Greater Regional Medical Center, and Southwestern Community College (SWCC) are combining forces to provide FREE education and training for individuals in CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
Throughout the month of April 2015, FREE Heartsaver certification classes will be offered every Tuesday evening—April 7, 14, 21, and 28—from 6-9 p.m. at SWCC in the Instructional Center, room 333. These classes provide full certification for adult/child/infant CPR and the use of the AED. In addition, on Mon., April 20, from 6-8 p.m., there will be a FREE Community CPR/AED event at Creston High School. This event is meant to be an introduction to CPR, focusing on CPR and AED use and does NOT lead to certification.
Participating insurance agencies include Tyler Insurance Services; American Family, Katie Turner; Carter Insurance Agency; Farm Bureau, Joe Calvin; Hometown Insurance; and State Farm, Ben Adamson.
This project was the brainstorm of Devon Leith, agent at Tyler Insurance in Creston. Leith said she saw a need in the community—being proactive to prepare for lifesaving situations—and instead of sitting idle, decided to act on it.
“Recent events in our community have proven life can change in an instant,” Leith stated. “It is our hope that with these free trainings offered to citizens in our communities, we will all be more empowered to act and react in case of emergencies.”
Leith said the response from the other insurance agencies in town has been phenomenal as well, and they were all immediately more than ready to jump in and help.
To register for any of the FREE CPR/AED training sessions, please call one of the participating insurance agencies or visit www.swcciowa.edu/pifCPR to register online.
Related to these efforts, there is also an opportunity for citizens and businesses to Pay it Forward with a goodwill donation to Greater Regional Healthcare Foundation/AED. A fund has been set up to raise money for the purchase of additional AEDs to be placed throughout the community. Funds will be accepted at all CPR/AED training events and at your local insurance agencies throughout the month of April.
The Community CPR/AED event and the fund for Greater Regional Healthcare Foundation/AED are being held in conjunction with SWCC’s annual Pay it Forward (PIF) Week, April 20-24, 2015. During PIF Week, SWCC students, faculty, and staff get involved by encouraging positive behaviors and service to the community. The hope is that these efforts will ripple and spread community-wide. For a complete list of PIF events at SWCC, please visit www.swcciowa.edu/pif.
###