Bothwell Foundation presents AED to SFCC for Thompson Conference Center
The Bothwell Foundation recently presented an automated external defibrillator (AED) to State Fair Community College for its Thompson Conference Center that is used by the college and the public. An AED is a small, lightweight device that allows individuals and first responders to treat sudden cardiac arrest by delivering a shock to the victim’s chest, ideally restarting their heart. According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 people experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the United States each year. Immediate CPR and use of an AED can double, or even triple, survival rates.
Funds to purchase the device were raised during the Bothwell Foundation’s 2021 Wear Red for Women luncheon and auction. The foundation’s goal is to have AEDs in every place people work, learn, play or pray in Sedalia and Pettis County. Since the inception of the luncheon event in 2020, 47 AEDs have been placed in various locations. The 2023 Wear Red for Women event is Feb. 24, 2023.
Back row, from left: Lauren Thiel-Payne, Bothwell Foundation executive director; Robin Balke, Wear Red Committee member; Dr. Michael Murders, SFCC Academics and Student Success vice president; Deputy Curtis Hammonds, SFCC student resource officer; and Justin O’Neal, SFCC Facilities director.