Teaching CPR to Banyan Schools, CHIP in Indy and RMH Chicago

The past couple weeks have been busy for us here at the Disque Foundation.

According to an American Heart Association report, the number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests was 326,200 in 2011. This is why the Disque Foundation works to empower others to save lives, offering free CPR and AED training to two organizations this month.

The empowerment team instructed about 75 staff members of Banyan High School and Elementary School in New Jersey on how to perform CPR, use an AED, and execute basic first aid skills. Banyan’s employees were excited to learn the skills necessary to keep their students and coworkers safe. The Disque Foundation holds weekly webinars teaching life-saving skills. If you are interested, schedule one here with our medical educator, Lauren.

Additionally, our team instructed about 100 community members of Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) and its neighboring not-for-profits in Indianapolis in CPR, AED, & First Aid. CHIP in Indy works to create collaboration in the community towards ending homelessness in Indianapolis. Homeless individuals are three times more likely to die of any disease or injury than the general population others in all age groups. Physical health conditions, such as heart complications and cancer, are more likely to lead to an early death for homeless individuals. The Disque Foundation works to provide free CPR and AED training, to prevent unnecessary deaths from cardiac arrest and emergencies in the demographic that experiences it the most.

“CHIP and our community members really appreciate you all coming out and teaching CPR/AED. For a lot of our community members, $30-$50 can be a barrier to getting certified, so we really appreciate you stepping in and providing this valuable training for free.” – Zachary Alexander, Community Relations and Events Manager for CHIP

Now the Banyan and CHIP communities will be better prepared in case of an emergency.

We also worked with the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in Chicago. In the past, the Disque Foundation has partnered with the RMH, holding various activities for the children and their families. This time, we worked along with another not-for-profit to create a Superhero Night for the children. The kids crafted and created their very own superhero face masks.

“The Disque Foundation helped kids at the Ronald McDonald House become real life superheroes by helping them make masks of their favorite super heroes!”  -Heather Strobel, Disque Foundation Director of Outreach and Mission Fulfillment