Wanting to make sure students and staff at Salem Community Schools have the best equipment possible, Matt Gorman recently applied and was awarded a grant to purchase Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s) for the corporation.
Gorman, who is the facility manager at Bradie Shrum Elementary, said thanks to a grant through the Washington County Community Foundation, SCS has four new AEDs. He said that each one costs approximately $1,700 each, so this is a huge savings for the school.
“As a result of this initiative, lives can be saved and peace of mind can be found knowing that our school corporation is taking safety of our students, staff and community members seriously and our athletes can rest assured we have the latest technology of AEDs available if an emergency situation should arise,” said Gorman.
He said the grant application process through the foundation was very user friendly. “The Foundation was just as excited as I was when applying for a grant to help purchase these devices,” he said.
To enhance the effectiveness of the grant, East Washington and West Washington schools were also included in the same grant so more AEDs could be purchased. Salem Community Schools received four units, East Washington received two and West Washington received one.
While the grant was initiated by Gorman, he said Lindsey Wade-Swift, the WCCF program and financial manager, researched several grants that would be a possible help in his efforts.
“Lindsey took the helm and secured funding for the AEDs,” said Gorman. “The end result of the grant was that the Foundation had some left over funds from other grants that were utilized in making this purchase possible.”
Wade-Swift said, “The generous donors to WCCF made it possible for Salem Community Schools to receive a grant through the Spring Grant Cycle. Matt Gorman was kind enough to order the machines for East Washington and West Washington as well.”
Gorman said that the Lifelink company used to purchase the devices is a retired firefighter from Seymour. “He was excited to make our schools safer as well,” he said. “He knows that when an emergency arises, we need the best equipment to have a positive result.”
Wade-Swfit said the WCCF connects people who care with causes that matter to them. “We do this by working with donors to issue grants to improve the quality of life in Washington County,” she said. The WCCF is an organization that works with donors to create endowments that will improve the quality of life in Washington County forever.
WCCF offers several different grant cycles for various projects. “This grant was made possible by donors through their endowed Touch Tomorrow Funds for the Spring Grant Cycle,” said Wade-Swfit. “Applications are requested and submitted for committee and WCCF Board of Directors review.”
In 2022, donors made it possible to award over $917,000 to Washington County nonprofit organizations including schools and government organizations.
Wade-Swfit said the WCCF was thrilled to partner with the schools in this project.
“We believe the school systems in Washington County play an incredibly important role in the economic development of our county,” she said. “Our school systems are key players in creating a future workforce, expanding job opportunities, and improving the quality of life. It is imperative that our entire county and all of our school systems work together to accomplish this goal. We also find that giving students a voice in the community through their activities, such as the Washington County Youth Foundation, gives them a sense of purpose as well as community input and responsibility.”