Cher Will of Christiansted, St Croix, US Virgin Islands, has done it again. She has donated another AED to a deserving facility in St Croix. Cher Will is the project director of the AED Fund at St Croix Foundation. Cher started the fund back in 2008 after using her own personal AED to save a life, and learning the local fire station did not have one.
The recipient of this AED is American Legion Post 85 in Christiansted. As Will stated in an article in The Avis, she had been purchasing all of the AEDs for St Croix from AED Superstore. Annuvia, a sister company of AED Superstore, donated the AED.
“AED Superstore called me and said Annuvia heard of my project and wanted to donate an AED,” she said. “I am so proud of our vets. They have given so much for us. We need to give back to our veterans.”
American Legion Post 133 in Frederiksted (St Croix) will be receiving the next AED, thanks to donations to the AED Fund from the community. Donations have come from many venues, like resident Peggy Thomas, who on her 85th birthday asked that family and friends make a donation to the fund, in lieu of presents. “It’s people like her that are making a difference,” Cher Will said.
Through the AED Fund, 35 AEDs have been donated to various services (police, fire, first responders, National Guard, Coast Guard), public parks and other public locations. According to Will, “we have AEDs in 81 locations and we have 111 AEDs.” The American Heart Association has reported that, per capita, St Croix has the most AEDs in the nation.
Will’s tireless efforts have inspired people like Gary Molloy, Insular Superintendent, to equip all public schools on the island with AEDs. Senator Sammuel Sanes sponsored AED legislation that became law in 2011, requiring all public high schools with inter-scholastic athletic programs to maintain an AED on premises during school-related functions or sporting events.
Are there any others out there like Cher Will? If you are, or if you know of someone who has been driven and inspired to help place life-saving technology where is is needed most, let us know. We’d be glad to feature your story on our blog.
April 01, 2014 at 12:53 pm, Cher Will said:
HI! Thank you so much!
August 03, 2018 at 2:36 pm, UPDATE: St. Croix AED Advocate Receives Federal Grant - AED Superstore Blog said:
[…] 27 AEDs through her AED Fund. These donations resulted in a total of 75 on the island. In 2014, we updated you on her progress and she let us know at that time they had 111 AEDs in 81 locations. […]