Over 20 members of the Girl Guides Association of Barbados
recently received training in First Aid and CPR at the headquarters of the Heart
& Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), Ladymeade Gardens, Jemmotts Lane,
St.Michael. The group session, which was held on Saturday May 19th was the first
set of over 60 guides who will benefit from this instruction in the near future.
Two other sessions will be held, probably at the end of June and early July,
each for approximately 20 guides, to complete the programme.
The project follows an indication by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados
that it would use funds received from the Kiwanis Club of Bridgetown's Silver
Dollars for Children Fundraising Event last year to provide training for 100
scouts and guides.
The successful
Silver Dollars for Children event took place on September 24th, 2006 when
individuals and organizations were asked to contribute to Barbados' charities by
placing one Barbados silver dollar along a specially cordoned off mile of
highway between Bay Street and the Garrison Savannah. The Heart & Stroke
Foundation of Barbados was one of eight charities that benefited from the
initiative.
The intensive course, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., provides
instruction in the management of medical and trauma led injuries, as well as an
introduction to CPR. The initial session was led by instructor Ryan Selby, who
is Chief Petty Officer of the Barbados Coast Guard. Assisting him were Patrick
Edwards, a firefighter, and Rudolph Morris, a member of the medical unit of the
Barbados Defence Force. The three trainers are fully accredited American Heart
Association instructors, with twelve, five and thirteen years experience
respectively.
Chief Commissioner of the Girl Guides Association, Wilma
Turton, visited the first session, and was pleased with what she saw. She
thanked the Heart & Stroke Foundation for the training given to the guides,
noting that the participants are working towards a First Aid Badge. The Chief
Commissioner stated that guiding provides girls with life skills, including
honesty, integrity, planning and strategic thinking, and that First Aid training
is part of the core programme.
“We are grateful to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of
Barbados for the opportunity given to the girls to learn these skills” said
Commissioner Turton. “This will help them, not only in their development as
guides, but in their daily lives. I expect that it will also help them to
motivate others, including their peers and their families, to acquire this
important knowledge.”
The HSFB's Emergency Cardiac Care Manager, Ricardo Thompson,
shared the Commissioner's sentiments with regard to the motivating influence of
the training. He said that the course for the guides was integral to the
Foundation's on-going efforts to expand its programme of instruction in First
Aid and Emergency Cardiac Care to the wider public. “This is a template, as it
were”, he said. “Our intention is to offer the training across the community, to
a wide range of groups and organizations, whether they be guides, scouts, sports
clubs, or community groups, and to hold sessions either at the Foundation or, if
necessary, at community centres, schools,or other suitable locations. The
important thing is to make the training widespread, so that as many people as
possible can be armed with these lifesaving skills.”
The successful
Silver Dollars for Children event took place on September 24th, 2006 when
individuals and organizations were asked to contribute to Barbados' charities by
placing one Barbados silver dollar along a specially cordoned off mile of
highway between Bay Street and the Garrison Savannah. The Heart & Stroke
Foundation of Barbados was one of eight charities that benefited from the
initiative.
