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A public presentation of two Automated External Defibrillators (AED)s donated by Clarence & Winnie Russenholt’s Family was held at the Minitonas Town Hall on Friday, November 18, 2011.
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Kirk Russenholt explained that it was last Christmas when thinking about what gifts to give that they came up with the idea. “We thought it would be a good thing to give something back to Minitonas where we had grown up. It is usually the formative years when you grow up and learn about life, and everything else, respecting people and giving back to people.” His brother Craig added, “We took a lot from the commuity over the years with minor sports. It’s easy to take, but its really nice to give back and that’s why we are here.”
Accepting the AED to be placed in the Town Hall are (from left to right) Town of Minitonas Councillors Derek Bartel and Steve Windsor, Chief Administrative Officer Carolyn Gordon and Mayor Henry Barkowski along with donors Craig and Kirk Russenholt.
Mayor Barkowski reminisced that the Russenholts were one of the first families he met when he came to Minitonas, stating, “They are just wonderful community people and I am not surprised they are giving back.”
Accepting the AED to be placed in the Arena are (from left to right) Glenda Emmerson, Steve Windsor, Lonnie Armistead, Dave Petelski (Lions Club) and Ken Mohr along with donors Craig and Kirk Russenholt. The Lions Club are co-donors of the Arena AED.
Lonnie Armistead, President of the Minitonas Arena expressed his thanks to the Russenholt family, and mentioned that installing an AED in the arena was something they had been looking at for the last few years, but that it had not been in their cards to proceed.
After the presentation Toni Hayes, a Certified Instructor with St. John Ambulance, demonstrated how to use an AED, and explained that the use of an AED with CPR within the first three minutes of a cardiac arrest can increase the chance of survival up to 75%.
St. John Ambulance provided a discount on the two AEDs, sponsored the information night and also supplied advanced training for 18 individiuals free of charge. While no training is required to use an AED, becoming certified provides individuals with the confidence to react quickly and proficiently in an emergency.
The AED Certification course will be held on Saturday, November 26 from 1pm – 5 pm. If you are interested in attending, contact Toni Hayes at
281-1897.
Echoed frequently throughout the evening was the sentiment that, hopefully the AEDs will never need to be used, but it is comforting to know they are there if they are ever needed.