By Dayton Keffer
Gwyneth’s Gift Foundation is proud to announce that due to the continued support of the Mary Washington Hospital Foundation Community Benefit Fund (MWH CF), we are ahead of schedule by completing more than half our substantial objectives for the 2024 year. This grant, a continuation from previous years, supports three major objectives: Hands-Only CPR and AED Training, AED Placements, and Awareness.
Training Milestone Achieved: Our first objective for 2024 is to offer our Hands-Only CPR and AED training to 1,000 people within the Rappahannock Region. As of June 30th, we have already trained 940 individuals, bringing new lifesavers to our communities. Since January of this year, we have traveled across the Rappahannock Region to bring trainings to locations such as; Livingston Elementary School, Stafford County Public Schools Health & Wellness Fair, Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site), Fredericksburg Area Builders Association, James Monroe Museum, and the Central Rappahannock Regional Library.
AED Placements: Our second objective for 2024 is to deploy 12 AEDs to applications within the Rappahannock Region. As of June 30th we have deployed 5 AEDs, with locations including: Friends of the Rappahannock, Heppe Chiropractic, South Ridge Church, Love Thy Neighbor, and UMW Tennis Center.
Community members who have yet to receive training still benefit from GGF activities when they enter a public facility with a placed AED present or simply by being surrounded by individuals who have the knowledge to be confident and capable of saving a life.
By continuing to expand the number of individuals trained and AEDs placed, Gwyneth’s Gift Foundation is helping to build communities that are educated, confident and empowered to save the lives of individuals suffering from cardiac arrest.
Awareness Efforts Exceeded: Our third and final objective, aligning with our Awareness program, is to attend 8 awareness events in the Rappahannock Region. Our objective is already complete with 14 events attended! A few of the events we have attended this year include; Stafford County Public Schools Health & Wellness Fair, Virginia Heart and Vascular Institute Symposium, and Bishop Events Mother’s Day Run.
We aspire to be the first region in Virginia to significantly increase the survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest through a community-based Culture of Action. The MWH CF grant ensures our ability to continue to serve our home region of the Rappahannock. Gwyneth’s Gift is incredibly thankful for the ongoing support of Mary Washington Hospital Foundation, and looks forward to the work we will continue to do together.
#GwynethsGift #CultureofAction