Grants are a life saver

By Danielle Galvin
COMMUNITY grants from the Bendigo Bank would provide automatic defibrillators for recreation reserves and sporting clubs just five weeks after a 14 year-old collapsed at a football game in Narre Warren.
Strathaird Reserve and Sweeney Reserve in Narre Warren South will have automatic defibrillators on site in the coming weeks.
Pearcedale Recreation Reserve and Tooradin Sports Club have also been given funding for the defibrillators, training packages on how to use the machines as well as Triple-zero registration.
On July 15 Troy Wright from Narre Warren went into cardiac arrest at the football game.
“It’s all about the time frame. It was lucky that Troy from the Narre Warren North foxes was administered CPR early on after going into cardiac arrest a few weeks ago,” said MICA paramedic Andrew White.
Earlier this year Mr White founded Defib Your Club For Life.
At the community presentation night on Tuesday 9 August more than $25,000 was donated to the organisation to buy 11 defibrillators in the city of Casey and the Cardinia shire.
Mr White said that the earlier the person can be defibrillated the better chance they have of surviving.
“It doesn’t matter who administers defibrillation, whether it’s a paramedic or someone who has had some training to use them,” he said.
Grants were also given tothe Casey Christian Out-reach Centre, Narre South Lions Junior Football, the Narre Warren junior foot-0ball club and the Maranatha Methodist Cricket Club.
Julie Kelly is the pastor for the Casey Christian Outreach Centre.
For the past five years, the Bendigo Bank’s community company has partnered with the centre to fund the Narre Warren South Carols by Candlelight event.
“It was a great night,” she said of the grants presentation evening.
This year $3000 was given to the church to fund Carols by Candlelight.
“It costs $12,000 to put on the Carols by Candlelight event, so the funding from the Bendigo Bank makes it all possible,” Mrs Kelly said.
The annual Carols by Candlelight event is held at the Narre Warren Town Park.
In total, 61 community and sporting groups from Casey and Cardinia shire shared in just over $278,000.
The Cranbourne Lions Choir and Beyond Disability Inc were also given funding at the community grants night.