Aaron was long an active member of his hometown (Plant City, Florida) Noon Rotary Club. In fact, he served as President a few years ago when the club set a goal of making sure all of the cars in the Plant City Police Department were outfitted with automated external defibrillators. The club had become aware of the need in 2013, when it learned that only four of the department’s 50 cars were so equipped. With police officers often being the first responders on the scene for distress calls – even ahead of EMT or fire department – these defibrillators empowered police officers to act quickly.
Defibrillators, as you might imagine, aren’t cheap. In fact, each one can cost several thousand dollars. That’s a line item more than a few municipalities are simply unable to incur. So the Plant City Noon Rotary Club stepped up. “Our club found a need within the community as it often does, and this time it was with our own Plant City Police Department,” according to Aaron. And so, the fund raising campaign began and within months, the mission was accomplished. The last of the 50 police cruisers needing a unit received that in 2015.
Now, fast forward to February, 2023, when the Rotary Club again came to the rescue, this time, under the guidance and leadership of President Shawn Jemison. When the club learned that the defib units purchased years ago had aged to the point that they could not be serviced or renewed, Jemison initiated a new drive to deliver brand new units to the PCPD. An additional funding push was initiated, and in short order, those units were renewed.
Doing Good Deeds Brings Good Results
Aaron has since moved from Plant City, so he’s no longer active on a day to day basis with the Rotary Club there. However, he’s still incredibly proud of their work and supports them from afar. He recently learned that, shortly after the recent renewal of the defibrillators, a Plant City police officer used one of them to save a life on the scene. https://www.plantcityobserver.com/pcpd-officers-recognized-for-saving-lives-with-aed-equipment/
Needless to say, Aaron was humbled and grateful to hear the news. “One doesn’t do community service or help charitable causes to build a brand or gain acknowledgement – far from it,” he said. “You do it because it’s the right thing to do. It’s how we were raised – you give back to the community you come from. You help those who need help. But to get word of a tangible, life-saving result from something like this is indescribable. I’m so proud the Rotary continues to support this cause, as well as many other worthy endeavors. And I encourage folks everywhere to find out where their own communities have needs. We can all find some way to help.”
