PHOTOS & VIDEO: As a public service, Chesed of Lakewood held an entirely free-of-charge CPR and first aid course for morahs, teachers, babysitters and caregivers. The course was full to capacity.

In the short time registration was open to the public, the course generated lots of ‘buzz’ in the community. One woman who was switching to a new job in the educational field got a phone call from her new boss encouraging her to participate in the CPR course. “You have no idea what an impact your course is making!” she told the course coordinators.

The course, with a total cost of thousands of dollars, was entirely subsidized by sponsors. The main sponsor was the Ocean County Health department, which arranged and oversaw the course in conjunction with Chesed of Lakewood. The course was attended by high-ranking officials from the Ocean County Health Department, including Daniel Regenye, Victoria Miragliotta, and Roy Mukesh.

Senator Bob Singer, who is always instrumental in helping programs for the public benefit like this one get off the ground, opened the course by sharing some personal history. He told the crowd of the many times he saw CPR applied in real life. These experiences led him to encourage his own children to seek and obtain CPR and first aid certification.

“Senator Singer has been enthusiastic right from the beginning about the opportunity Chesed of Lakewood and the Ocean County Health Department are bringing Lakewood”, says Chesed of Lakewood coordinator. “He applauded the efforts of the organizers to constantly bring medical education, awareness and services to the Lakewood community.”

Chesed of Lakewood says in the few hours after the course ended, they have received tens of phone calls and emails from caregivers who greatly benefited from the course and called it a resounding success.

“I always knew I should learn CPR but I somehow never got around to it,” one email read. “When Chesed of Lakewood arranged it at no charge, it was a huge incentive for me to finally take care of it.”

“It’s easy to talk about the importance of learning CPR, but morahs often don’t have the money to cover the cost to participate in such a course”, says Chesed of Lakewood. “We made it easy and affordable for Lakewood teachers to learn the vital skills of CPR and First Aid.

Chesed of Lakewood says that judging by the tremendous response to the CPR course, there’s a great demand in Lakewood for educational courses, and they plan to hold more CPR courses in the near future.

 At the course, surveys regarding important medial knowledge were distributed to participants.

“We plan to carefully analyze the survey results to work out which medical information Lakewood residents most need to learn about,” a Chesed of Lakewood coordinator says.

Chesed of Lakewood is a nonprofit organization that services families in need of medical assistance, be it through referrals, home respite, or services at medical facilities. Dozens of volunteers are available to help those in need. One of Chesed of Lakewood’s number one goals is to provide a platform with which the community can be educated regarding important medical topic. The CPR course was just one example of the many programs Chesed of Lakewood is instituting to create greater medical awareness within the community.

“When minutes count, you can make a difference. If you have any talents that you can contribute to Chesed of Lakewood’s efforts, they are always recruiting volunteers in all departments. Call 732-901-0482 or email [email protected].”