McDONOUGH – The Town of McDonough is making good use of an annual round of private grants which are offered each year as a means of improving the local community.
Money comes by way of a nearly $1 million endowment left to the McDonough community by the late Evelyn Emerson, a long-time resident of McDnough. Various town entities are eligible to apply for grant money taken from accrued interest on the endowment each year.
In the past, grant funds have been used to improve safety and quality of life for McDonough residents by supporting causes such as the food pantry or funding equipment purchases for the McDonough Fire Department.
Foremost, the endowment helps the Oxford School District. If any money is available after, then town entities may apply.
McDonough was eligible for a three-part grant this year which will ultimately improve safety for all town residents, explained Kenny Thompson of the McDonough Fire Department. Nearly $13,000 totaled in grant funds allowed town officials to purchase an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) machine for Town Hall; an autopulse machine for the McDonough rescue squad; and CPR mannequins and facilitated CPR training courses for community residents.
“This money is unbelievably important for us because the town is like every other town. We're broke,” said Thompson. “Evelyn was a very generous person. What she left was a huge benefit to the town.”
Thompson added that the autopulse machine in particular is a tremendous asset. The device provides high-quality automated CPR to victims of sudden cardiac arrest. If only one emergency responder is available for a call for someone entering cardiac arrest, the device will be there to help.
“We are a basic rescue squad. It's often times 30 minutes before an ambulance arrives,” said Thompson, also noting that despite an overall low call volume, the McDonough rescue team sees a large number of calls for people who go into cardiac arrest. “If we have one person show up on a call, there's no way one person can perform CPR. Five people can rotate compressors, but a mechanical CPR device eliminates rescuer fatigue and helps with the manpower situation.”
What’s more, instructor-led CPR training which is also being paid for through grant funds will help residents help each other in emergency situations. Having an AED machine available at Town Hall during community functions also increases safety.
“If someone goes into cardiac arrest, the hope is that someone in their family received some training in CPR,” said Thompson. “Studies show that there's a better survivability rate where there's access to an AED and someone who knows CPR.”
In addition to health and safety purposes, endowment funds have also provided for the McDonough music series in previous years. The carnival-like events typically include musical performances, bounce houses for kids, and a community picnic.