Pickard Receives SALF CERT-ified School Award

December 29 , 2004

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Over the past month, SALF has trained more than 600 schoolchildren, grades K-8, and more than 60 faculty members at Pickard Elementary School, 2301 W. 21st Place, Chicago, IL, in Pre-EMS skills, to prepare them against man-made, natural or personal disasters.  Pickard is the first Chicago Public School to achieve SALF's CERT-ified School Award, which heads its efforts to make all schools an emergency prepared safe-haven. Dr. Victoria Cadavid, principal of Pickard School stated, "I have never been involved in such a grand scale effort of training so many staff members in CPR. I know that this activity would not have taken place if not for the relentless effort of our event coordinator, Ms. Michele Govea."

Chicago Firefighters/EMS Juan Sotomayor and Carlos Ramos and Village of West Chester EMTP Pat Sherlock led the training sessions, which included how to open an airway, rescue breathing, bleed-control, CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, use of an AED and other basic first aid procedures.

SALF Instructor Pat Sherlock demonstrates CPR for a class at Pickard Elementary

Since the beginning of the school year, Chicago Public Schools, Ronald McDonald House Charities Global and Chicago and Northern Indiana Regional branches and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois have sponsored SALF's child training programs for more than 60 Chicagoland area schools.  Pickard Elementary expanded this Pre-EMS training to its staff, thus making it the first Chicago Public School to be completely prepared against unexpected emergencies.

Michele Govea, an educator and special events coordinator for Pickard School stated, "This type of training is very important for the entire school community.  "Students of all ages, even those as young as five, need these various tools in order to assist in family and school emergencies."

To celebrate this achievement, Govea put together a poster presentation of children learning Pre-EMS skills, along with letters of appreciation to both SALF and its sponsors for allowing them the opportunity of knowing how to save a life.  In addition to this montage, Ed Stare, SALF's National Director of State Development, was interviewed for a feature article that will be placed in various bilingual newspapers.

"SALF's mission is to train Bystanders in every community to be Pre-EMS ready, and to stress the fact that local EMS professionals need the Bystander's help, prior to their arrival at the scene of an illness or injury.  Anything one can do to assist the victim may mean the difference between life and death.  It is our hope that all community organizations, schools and businesses will recognize the need for this valuable training, as Pickard Schools has, and follow the example of CPS, Ronald McDonald House Charities and Blue Cross Blue Shield, by generously donating to SALF, allowing us to expand the breadth of our training to all children at no cost," said Stare.

For more information contact Save A Life Foundation at 847-928-9683, or donate online at donate@salf.org.