Mom thankful for CPR training

Date: 09/22/2005

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Mom thankful for CPR training
by Mary Nevans-Pederson



United Way helps fund Red Cross programs As Molly Downs grabbed her toddler, Lauren, who was choking, she struggled to remember her Red Cross CPR training. Recalling the instructions, the frantic mother first tried to dislodge the tiny cracker Lauren had inhaled, then held her daughter over her knees and started "back blows." The 17-month-old was turning blue and could not even gasp as Molly continued to hit her back. Then all at once, the cracker popped out of Lauren's airway. She started to breath and reached for a hug from her sobbing mother. "Thank God the Red Cross taught me how to do this. It was all in the back of my head, but I thought I'd never have to use it," said Downs, who was scheduled to take cardiopulmonary resuscitation recertification classes the next week. Every year since she started working for Abbadent Dental Center, Downs, like all the company's employees, has taken CPR classes through the Red Cross. She admits she was an indifferent student, memorizing what she needed to pass the final test. But her attitude has changed dramatically since that choking incident earlier this year. "Boy, did I listen hard the next time I took the classes," said Downs, 28, of Dubuque. "I think every new mother and father should have to take CPR training. Kids choke on things and you need to know what to do." The American Red Cross of the Tri-States offers numerous opportunities for CPR training among its many programs. In Downs' case, the Red Cross schedules sessions at Abbadent to make it possible for the entire staff to access the training. Nearly half of the local Red Cross chapter's budget is funded by United Way, said Stan Schwartz, executive director. For the fiscal year beginning Nov. 1, the Red Cross will receive $159,000 from United Way. "It funds portions of all our programs. It is critical to carry out our mission of disaster and emergency response and relief," Schwartz said. "We are grateful to United Way donors, because by supporting the Red Cross, they are making their own community a safer place to live," he said. As an example, the Red Cross has responded to 15 residential fires in the past three months with varying degrees of support for the families who were affected. In the past few weeks, the local Red Cross has trained about 60 volunteers to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The cost of that training comes out of the local chapter's pockets.