Local teens step up to make a vital lifesaving donation to a neighborhood nonprofit.
By David Perkins
We all love a great feel-good story, especially when it involves so many aspects of your neighbors helping your neighbors … teens, parents, and local businesses … all with big hearts for community nonprofits that truly are making a difference.
ADAKC is the Alzheimer’s Disease Association of Kern County, located right here in Seven Oaks, with a heartfelt mission to improve the lives of locals dealing with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Through their Adult Day Program, they have been giving support and respite relief to their caregivers since 1982, serving over 250,000 families. It’s a big task, but the staff – and volunteers – at ADAKC know the importance of the services they offer to their clients and their caregivers.
Because they are a nonprofit, donations make a huge difference on so many levels, and this story is evidence of the impact that can be made by a seemingly “simple” gesture. Neighborhood teen Areen Sandhu has been volunteering her time at ADAKC. She discovered that the facility did not have an on-site AED machine (an automated external defibrillator or automatic electronic defibrillator). I’m sure you’ve heard of or seen these in many buildings… a portable electronic device that can automatically detect dangerous heart rhythms and treat them by sending an electric shock to the heart, helping it return to a normal beat.
During a recent press conference, Areen explained, “While volunteering here at ADAKC, I was given the opportunity to connect with the many clients here and when I found out that there was a need here for an AED machine, I knew that my friends and I could do something about it. So, we reached out to our resources and were able to bring this machine here.”
Turns out that Areen got together with her friends, Kabir Singh-Uppal and Landon Wells, and the three of them turned to some very willing and generous community resources who were more than happy to support these teens to make this donation a reality. The effect of this effort was quick and successful, as a brand-new AED machine, funded by California Cardiovascular Institute, California Neurology Institute, and Adventist Health, was donated to a very appreciative staff at ADAKC – all of whom have been certified in using the machine.
ADAKC Executive Director Tamara Baker confirmed, “The timing of this donation is perfect since it is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. We’d love to extend our heartfelt thanks to the teens and the resources that made this happen. Thankfully, we don’t need to access a machine like this every day, but this allows us to significantly enhance our emergency response capabilities, and perhaps save a life before any emergency medical services arrive. It means so much to us to see the younger people in our community being so proactive to notice and take care of a need like this for us. We are so proud of them and their compassion for our clients.”
I am more than sure that the parents of these teens are equally as proud. They were all reluctant to join in any photography taken of the kids, but since this magazine is focused on family and neighbors, we felt it was essential to include as many of them as possible in one photo to show what individuals, families, businesses, and neighbors can do to make a real difference in the community.
We think this is a great time to celebrate how giving like this – in time, resources, and support – can really make Seven Oaks and Bakersfield such a great community and city to live in.