For the first time, the USAO Red Cross Club (RCC) is hosting a Hands-Only CPR and Weather Disaster Management event Tuesday, Apr. 16, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the USAO Ballroom.
The American Red Cross is an organization that provides nationwide outreach in everything from disaster relief to supplying blood. The mission of RCC is similar as they want to offer a helping hand to those in need. RCC provides servant leadership on campus and in the community, and RCC hopes to build bridges and foster connections to help those on campus and the surrounding community. Their event planning began with the hope of bringing awareness to CPR and helping others, especially in concerning or dangerous situations.
“I’ve noticed from past experiences of students passing out or having seizures here on campus and people not knowing what to do. We figured it would be a good idea to bring somebody in who is an expert on it and who could teach the community some important information on what to do with an unconscious casualty,” Harry Cracknell, founder and president of RCC, said.
The event will host volunteers from the Red Cross who will teach hands-only CPR along with covering weather disaster management and preparedness. Coupled with an informative evening, there is the chance to win gift cards. The event is open to all who are interested.
The main hope for the event is to teach CPR and bring awareness to it, considering it is not commonly known or taught in many places. Hands-only CPR specifically is the use of chest compressions on an unconscious victim to resuscitate them. Weather disaster management is another important topic since Oklahoma is known for its many tornadoes.
“The actual idea for the event came from Hannah Oliver, who is a member of our exec team, and Lydia Darce,” Cracknell said.
Cracknell touched on a possible future event next year which includes CPR certification.
Any students interested in volunteering for future events or joining the exec board and helping with event planning are encouraged to reach out via the club’s Instagram (@usaoredcross) or their email, usaorc@outlook.com.
Whitley Brown is a first-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
