American Heart Association Teaches CPR to Save Lives

 

In 1924 six cardiologists established the American Heart Association (AHA) to find new ways to treat heart disease and stroke. Since its inception, the organization has developed several programs to educate and spread the word about heart disease and related conditions, including cardiac arrest, which results in 475,000 deaths each year. As part of its efforts, the AHA offers training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) through its Emergency Cardiovascular Care program. 

Goals of CPR Training

Every year, the AHA trains over 23 million people worldwide in CPR. The procedure can provide life-saving measures in the event of cardiac arrest. By training healthcare providers as well as members of the public to perform this service, the American Heart Association hopes to increase the chances that an individual who experiences cardiac arrest survives even if it happens outside of a hospital.

How to Get Trained

Those interested in learning about and becoming certified in CPR can seek out AHA classes or training centers all over the world. Additionally, employers may choose to set up training sessions for employees. Often, schools organize CPR training through the AHA for faculty, staff, and students. The AHA also offers a CPR in Schools Training Kit designed specifically for helping students learn CPR. Using the kit, educators can coach 10 to 20 students during a single class period.

Who Are the Trainers?

Individuals who have already obtained CPR training may opt to become an instructor for the AHA’s CPR classes. To do so, they must turn in an application, exhibit their proficiency in the discipline, take a dedicated course, and complete monitored teaching sessions. 

Disclaimer: This website contains general information about medical conditions and treatments. This information is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy or validity of any statements or information provided on this website. Do not rely on this information as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or another professional health-care provider. You should seek immediate medical attention if you think you are suffering from a medical condition. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.

Boys & Girls Clubs Partnership Aims to Stop Bullying and Judgement

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America originated in 1860 to help young people in Hartford, Connecticut, build character and find safe alternatives to the streets. Today, the organization continues supporting young people nationwide through programs and partnerships, like the one they’ve launched with Planet Fitness. 

In 2016 Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Planet Fitness launched Judgement Free Generation, an initiative meant to reduce instances of bullying and judgement and boost acceptance in America’s youth. To reach its goal, the program awards scholarships to deserving young people, hosts training sessions, and offers judgement-free fitness centers to members of regional clubs.

Scholarships


To promote kindness and acceptance, each year Planet Fitness awards $5,000 scholarships to 30 active members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America who exhibit the values of the Judgement Free Generation initiative. Qualified candidates must demonstrate how they’ve spread goodwill among their peers while also preventing bullying and judgement. High school seniors involved with their local Club who wish to apply must receive a recommendation from a Club staff member, complete an essay, and fulfill certain other academic and eligibility requirements.


Training Sessions


The initiative provides training sessions meant to equip both students and Boys & Girls Clubs of America staff members with the tools they need to promote acceptance and end bullying. Through these sessions, the program has reached upwards of 1,200 Club members.


Judgement Free Zones

As part of its partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Planet Fitness built fitness centers within certain Clubs around the country. To date, the initiative has established 30 Judgement Free Zone fitness centers. Young people who belong to participating Clubs can work out at these fitness centers without fear of judgement.
 

Warriors Gain Resiliency Thanks to 12-Week Program

Supporting service members and veterans who experienced an injury, either mental or physical, while serving, the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) has launched a number of initiatives to achieve its mission. To that end, the organization developed Project Odyssey, a program aimed at providing veterans with the mental health skills and resources they need to carry on with a healthy and productive life.

Occurring over 12 weeks, Project Odyssey invites veterans to take part in a program that focuses on their mental health. The program employs adventure-based learning to empower veterans, strengthen their skills to remain resilient, and help them overcome any emotional wounds incurred during their military service.

Veterans who take part in Project Odyssey start with a mental health workshop lasting five days. During the workshop, participants remove themselves from their everyday routines, taking a step outside of their comfort zones. The experience includes therapy and rehabilitation with professionals who can help veterans strengthen their communication and coping skills.

The skills veterans learn during the initial five-day workshop are reinforced and enhanced over the following 11 weeks of the program. After completing Project Odyssey, veterans are encouraged to stay engaged with WWP to continue receiving ongoing support.

Project Odyssey and the many mental health programs offered by WWP seek to help veterans experiencing a wide range of conditions. According to the organization, one in three veterans experiences post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while others live with traumatic brain injury or other brain-related syndromes. At the same time, one in three veterans also feel they do not have access to the mental health care they need.

WWP, with support from donors, has stepped in to fill this gap: the organization has provided more than 42,000 hours of outpatient care and therapy sessions to help our country’s wounded warriors.

Disclaimer: This website contains general information about medical conditions and treatments. This information is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy or validity of any statements or information provided on this website. Do not rely on this information as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or another professional healthcare provider. You should seek immediate medical attention if you think you are suffering from a medical condition. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.

Triple Play: Three Essential Lessons for Healthy, Active Kids

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) operate in communities all across the country with the aim to provide youth with the tools they need to succeed in school and in life. As part of that goal, the organization provides a variety of programs for children and young adults, including Triple Play: A Game for Mind, Body, and Soul. The initiative emphasizes health and wellness education for kids and teenagers.

With the objective of teaching lessons that promote healthy living, BGCA partnered with Anthem Foundation, the philanthropic division of Anthem, Inc., in 2005. Together, the organizations designed Triple Play as a way to deliver comprehensive wellness education to young people in three parts. 

Mind: Healthy Habits

The first component of the Triple Play curriculum covers healthy habits. This section covers the psychological elements involved in making healthy choices, such as eating well and being active. The course incorporates positive modeling that shows students how to make better choices. It also introduces nutrition education and exercises that help students understand how to follow healthy behaviors.

Body: Physical Activity

Next, Triple Play encourages physical activity through daily challenges. As part of this component of the program, students not only take part in physical activities, but earn a level of physical literacy as well. This includes strengthening their abilities in basic fitness and movement, building confidence in sporting skills, and motivating them to stay active throughout their lives.

Soul: Healthy Relationships 

Finally, the Triple Play initiative focuses on what it calls “social recreation.” Kids who participate in the program learn how to create and keep healthy relationships with others and with themselves, while also discovering how to make responsible decisions and regulate their emotions. The activities and materials intend to help students develop the social, emotional, and behavioral skills they need to live healthy, productive lives and get along with their peers. 

Disclaimer: This website contains general information about medical conditions and treatments. This information is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy or validity of any statements or information provided on this website. Do not rely on this information as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or another professional healthcare provider. You should seek immediate medical attention if you think you are suffering from a medical condition. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.

Job Seekers Gain Digital Skills with a Little Goodwill

 Aiming to provide the training and support people need to earn and keep good jobs, Goodwill Industries International partners with companies to reach these goals. In 2017, Google collaborated with Goodwill to launch the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator. 

Part of the Grow with Google initiative, established the same year, the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator aimed to help Google reach its goal of training and providing resources to Americans to give them the digital tools and resources they need to find jobs. The initiative awarded a $10.3 million grant to Goodwill to start a digital training program. Goodwill also received support in the form of Google’s resources, talent, and tools. 

With a goal to reach over one million job seekers and teach them the digital skills they need to get a job, the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator identified five levels of digital skills and set about creating training programs for each. 

The program’s digital skill levels include: 

• Digital skills awareness for individuals needing an introduction to computers and other digital topics; 
• Basic digital skills training, targeted at those who have some knowledge of computers but need help with email, social media, and keyboarding; 
• Productivity software skills, courses that provide instruction on using spreadsheets, word processing software, and similar tools; 
• Entry-level digital skills for those looking to gain basic programing or computer support skills; 
• Mid-level and occupation-specific digital skills, created for people looking to work with technology in specific fields, such as healthcare or marketing. 

Google also pledged to send more than 1,000 volunteers, including seven Google.org Fellows who worked full-time with Goodwill at one of the organization’s nationwide locations.

2 Inspiring WWP Fundraising Stories

 Fundraising is vital to organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), which relies on community contributions to provide life-changing services to America’s veterans. Recently, the organization made headlines for a few fundraising efforts that saw dedicated supporters using some truly creative methods.  

Let’s look at two of the most inspiring WWP fundraising stories:

Stormtrooper 10k ruck

One Navy hospital corpsman put his own spin on WWP’s virtual Carry Forward event this past year by gearing up with a full set of Star Wars stormtrooper armor for his own 10-kilometer ruck (a fast march carrying weight). The man, Jeffrey Priela, walked along Highway 101 in Carlsbad, California, in late August 2020 to raise money for WWP in a year when veteran demand has risen sharply due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Priela has been wearing stormtrooper armor during fundraisers since 2016 and says that the outfit always garners smiles and attention from passersby. Though the armor is unforgiving, he says it’s well worth it to raise money for the causes he supports.

A veteran’s walk across the country

In 2019, Air Force veteran and Minnesota resident Jerry Meadows set off on a cross-country journey to raise money for WWP. He selected the organization because of its focus on the needs of both veterans and their families. Meadows, who recently underwent triple bypass surgery and brought an oxygen tank along for the journey, aimed to walk more than 1,200 miles from Minnesota to WWP headquarters in Florida for the fundraiser. His wife, Virginia, followed behind him in the family van to make sure he was safe and keep him supplied with his medication. 

Meadows said the journey was challenging, both physically and mentally, but the enthusiasm of passersby kept him going—that, and the worthy cause he was raising money to support.

3 Criteria for Selecting a Charity to Support

 As of 2018, there were nearly 1.6 million nonprofits registered in the United States. Wonderful though it may be for all the causes these organizations support, the sheer number of available charities can make it difficult for the average American to choose which to align with. If you’re looking for a nonprofit to support, the following tips can help you make a decision. 

1. Outline your philanthropic goals. 

The first and most important step in selecting a charity to support is to determine your goals for donating or volunteering. Start by looking at your values and interests. Are you passionate about animal welfare? The arts? Helping veterans? Write out a brief mission statement—this can help you narrow down your focus and make it easier to find an organization that not only aligns with your goals, but also has the biggest impact on your favorite cause.

2. Get to know its mission. 

Once you start to research potential charities, you should look closely at each of their missions. Pay close attention to the way they present their values and goals. You should be able to understand exactly what they are trying to accomplish and how their programming and policies are helping them achieve that end. 

3. Research potential choices.

At some point, you should narrow your choices down to a few nonprofits. Now is the time to conduct more in-depth research about each organization. Your due diligence will ensure that your money will make the greatest impact possible, and that there isn’t anything fishy going on with the organization you choose to support. To this end, look into the nonprofit’s finances, governance, and history. You can also use popular charity vetting sites like Charity Navigator and GuideStar to help with your research.