SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - s4story -- Students from Valencia High School donated and installed an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) at the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry, helping improve emergency preparedness and safety for staff, volunteers, and community members who rely on the pantry's services.

The project was led by Valencia High School students Anesidora Santistevan and Lucy Elderd through the school's Medical Science Academy, an educational program focused on human health education and hands-on experience in sports and emergency medicine. The goal of the project was not only to raise funds to purchase and install an AED, but also to educate the community on how these devices save lives and why they are essential in public spaces.

More than 350,000 people experience sudden cardiac arrest outside of hospitals each year in the United States. Immediate CPR and early defibrillation can double or even triple a person's chance of survival, while each minute without defibrillation reduces survival chances by about 10 percent. Modern AEDs are designed to be safe and easy to use, even for individuals with no medical training, providing clear voice and visual instructions throughout the process.

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"Many of the people we reached out to didn't know what an AED was," said Anesidora Santistevan. "It's such an important lifesaving device, and we were able to share its importance with our community."

To fund the project, the students reached out to family members, friends, local businesses, and community supporters. With their help and a generous discount from California Medical Equipment, the students were able to purchase a refurbished Philips HeartStart H1 AED and an alarmed cabinet. The device was installed at the food pantry on January 8.

"It is not difficult to use modern AEDs," Santistevan added. "Many, like the one we installed, will evaluate the heart rhythm before determining if a shock is needed. With audio and visual instructions, someone with no training can still help save a life."

The installation was met with appreciation from volunteers at the pantry. "I was happy to see the AED being installed, as I recently had a family member pass from cardiac arrest over the holiday season," said Ingrid, a pantry volunteer. "The more opportunities and tools we have to save people, the better. Thank you so much for doing this."

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Looking ahead, the students hope this project is just the beginning. Santistevan and Elderd plan to continue working to install AEDs in other high-traffic nonprofit community spaces and help students and organizations learn how to fundraise, purchase, and install AEDs in their own communities.

"Giving this AED to a place that gives so much love to our community gives me peace of mind, knowing employees and volunteers are safer in such a life-changing space," said Lucy Elderd.

The students hope their project will raise awareness about the importance of AEDs and encourage other organizations and businesses to consider installing an AED in their facilities as a safety measure.

For more information on how to support future projects visit: aedforall