AED Communications

AEDs Ordered Email, May 11, 2019

The Hacienda South/West AED Club is HAPPY to report that we have collected sufficient funds to ORDER the 4 AEDS for our neighborhood.  😊

THANK YOU to all of you that have contributed and made this possible in such a short period of time.  The orders will take several weeks to fill and then the task of installation will begin - thanks to Steve Scamardi.

Four of our neighbors have been very generous for volunteering their properties as sites for AEDS placement. The locked AED cabinets will simply be fastened to a steel post that is pounded into the ground - usually near the side of a house/garage and close to the street.

We could not do this without the amazing support of these folks!  Their enthusiastic response is quite admirable and is a testament to the neighborhood’s spirit as well as to their commitment to the AED project.

AED TRAINING
AED TRAINING is scheduled for JUNE 7th 
If you have already volunteered as a RESPONDER – Jim Buckley will be contacting you for confirmation of training.
We still need more RESPONDER VOLUNTEERS since some of our volunteers are snow birds who have left for the summer.  Also, we may have the opportunity to train others.  PLEASE CONTACT JIM at jimbuckley@outlook.com if you are interested in becoming a responder volunteer or if you have any questions.

Oops ….
We have the funds to order the AEDS but ---
WE REMAIN SHORT OF THE ENTIRE 4 YEAR BUDGET!
While we are close to the 4-year budget with 111 contributions, we still need further financial support.
So, if you haven’t done so yet, please send a FOUNDER CONTIBUTION of $100 (or whatever you can afford)

PLEASE SEND YOUR CHECK to
HACIENDA SW AED CLUB,  1004 Presa Place,  The Villages,  FL 32159
Thank you for your consideration in keeping our neighborhood safe.

IF you have any questions please, please ASK –

• EVEN if you personally are not interested in ever being serviced by an AED – think about how great your contribution will be in protecting your family, friends. and visitors.
• EVEN if you are not with us all year round – think about how wonderful your contribution makes this a SAFER neighborhood when you do return
• EVEN if you own a Rental – think about how marvelous your contribution is in advertising your unit in an AED SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD
• EVEN if you are not sure – give your neighbors the benefit of doubt and the benefit of your contribution!

OH, BY THE WAY .....
I will be holding an AED QUESTION & ANSWER session at my house (1101 Presa Place) on SUNDAY, MAY 19th from 3 pm to 4 pm - just DROP BY with any questions or concerns or you can also EMAIL or CALL me.

 Konrad Krawczyk

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Neighborhood Update Email from April 25, 2019

I have had many neighbors ask me about what progress the AED CLUB has made since Lt Longacre’s presentation on April 9 and then our weekend (Apr 13-14) volunteer AED brochure distribution.

We are on our way to joining the other 200+ AED neighborhoods with 660+ AED units throughout the Villages but are not there yet …

As of April 25th, the AED Club has collected $8,200 from 85 households and we are encouraged and grateful for this response and support.  Our brochure canvassing volunteers reported warm welcomes and continued interest in the AED Clubs efforts to install 4 AEDs for the safety of all the residents and friends.

However, as successful as we have been, we are still well short of our $11,000+ budget and therefor are unable to plan any further for the purchase and installation of any of the AEDs.  We also cannot begin the Responder Training - but thank you to those 30 neighbors that volunteered to be responders.

We have over 170 homes in Hacienda South & West so we need to encourage more of our neighbors to participate if we are to succeed in raising the necessary funds to proceed. Rental owners have been solicited by mail.

If you have not yet submitted your FOUNDER CONTRIBUTION of 100 dollars (or more, as not all of our neighbors are able to contribute), then PLEASE do so. REMEMBER, we are funding a 4 YEAR BUDGET – so it’s only $25 / year.  And $25 is equivalent to the cost of a round of golf or a nice dinner out. The AEDs benefit us all – family, friends, neighbors, visitors and even the workers that come into our neighborhoods.   Clearly HACIENDA wants to proceed as so many neighbors have shown their support for this life saving tool.  OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE SEEN UP TO A 90% PARTICIPATION RATE. You can see your financial support is still needed.

If you have any comments, questions or concerns please contact one of us.

FAQs –

• Will this AED PROGRAM prevent the EMTs from being dispatched?     NO - the EMTS are the first ones called but the Neighborhood Responders may just be the first to arrive with the life saving tool.
• Can other groups pay for our AEDs?    NO – these AED benefit the entire neighborhood and that is why the request is to all of our neighbors.
• Can someone be hurt by an AED?   NO – the only way to hurt someone who needs an AED is by not having one available !Thank you again to all the volunteers – those that gave of their time to deliver the Flyers and Brochures and to talk to their neighbors; those that have signed up for Responder Training, and of course, those that have shown their support with the Founders Contribution thus making this possible.

REMEMBER send your checks to                Hacienda S/W AED CLUB
1104 Presa Place,  The Villages  FL 32159
or let one of us know and we’ll pick it up!

Konrad Krawczyk

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Invitational flyer for presentation on April 9th.

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Letter to HSWWC, read at regular monthly meeting on March 12, 2019

HACIENDA SOUTHWEST AED CLUB

The Hacienda SouthWest AED Club was established 1 week ago (March 2nd) - here is an update.

Heart disease takes 1 out of 3 lives in the U.S.  The Villages has been very active in the Neighbor Saving Neighbor Program to combat this.

Automated External Defibrillator (AED) with CPR saves lives.  This automatic, easy to use electrical device corrects lethal heart rhythms with an electrical shock.  Time is of the essence.  EMT response occurs in several minutes but neighbors can respond even faster.

This program, which started with just one village resident in 2004, is now administered by The Villages Public Safety Department.  The Villages has over 611 AEDs, 429 of which are in our neighborhoods.   Over 129 neighborhoods have programs manned by over 4,500 volunteers.  Now it’s our turn.

This club has been established to obtain AEDs for Hacienda South & West – to determine and obtain the funds to cover 4 years of expenses as well as finding and training volunteers and volunteer responders

The Board consists of:

• • Coordinator/Chairman – Konrad Krawczyk, MD
  • Deputy Coordinator – James Buckley
  • Secretary – Joanne Phinney
  • Treasurer – Maria Guerrera
  • Hacienda West Representative – Dennis Tweeten

We had our FIRST organizational meeting on Monday, March 11.  We discussed the need for AEDs, the timelines and procedures to obtain AEDs, and the need for neighborhood participation for volunteers and funding.  I am grateful to these talented volunteers

Each AED costs $2,000 and we may need 4 or more AEDs. We will also need 20-30 volunteers, who will be trained in AED/CPR.

Next Steps:

• This small group is scheduled to meet with Villages official, Lt John Longacre, on Weds March 13.  He will tell us how many AED units are needed, the recommended location of each unit, and a suggested 4 year budget.

• We will then distribute educational flyers and the estimated per home costs throughout the neighborhood.  Since everyone will benefit from this program, we are hoping that everyone will participate to help pay for AEDs.

• Hopefully, Lt. John Longacre will be able to attend the April Hacienda SouthWest Women’s monthly meeting, (April 9th) where he will give a formal AED presentation. We will encourage the entire neighborhood to attend and there will be time for all of your questions.

You can find AED Club info on the Hacienda SouthWest Women’s Club website under the Neighborhood tab of the top menu.

We thank the Hacienda SouthWest Women’s Club board and its member for your warm support.

Respectfully submitted,
Your humble servant

Konrad Krawczyk