Rotary Supports Beach Safety Initiatives
Pictured, left to right: Melinda Gruber, President South Haven Rotary; Griffin Graham, South Haven City Deputy City Manager; Kate Hosier, South Haven City Manager; Matt Dey, South Haven City Beach Safety & Facilities Superintendent; Karina Perales and Kathy Kuenzle, South Haven City Beach Enforcement Attendants; Scott Smith, Mayor, City of South Haven; and Bill Roberts, South Haven Rotary Club.
The South Haven Rotary Club and City of South Haven are working together to improve beach safety. The Rotarians met with City of South Haven leaders to present checks totaling $13,500 to support our local community’s beach safety programs. The funds will provide additional year round life ring stations located on the piers and three automated external defibrillator AED devices for the city beaches.
Both initiatives are part of the City’s larger beach safety program and are intended to help facilitate rapid response and life-saving assistance to emergencies. The expanded beach safety program was previously managed through SHAES, but is now a City of South Haven responsibility.
Matt Dey, South Haven’s Beach Safety and Facilities Superintendent, thanked the Rotary Club and its members noting that “…the community has asked for year round life rings to be put out on both piers and with the support of our community and this generous grant from the South Haven Rotary Club, I am proud to announce that the six life ring cabinets have been ordered and are on their way to be delivered! The three AEDs funded through this grant will allow us to provide life-saving actions within minutes of a cardia event as we are always at the beaches. Providing that support within five minutes will dramatically increase the survival rate of person experiencing cardiac arrest.”
Rotary President Melinda Gruber presented the checks noting that “Water and beach safety is an important part of Rotary’s mission. We are pleased to be able to do what we can to help ensure the safety of all who visit our beautiful lakefront.”
While most of the funds were raised locally, Rotarian Bill Roberts was instrumental in obtaining matching grants from the Rotary District 6360 that increased the total contribution by over thirty percent. District Distributed Funds (DDF) were instrumental in funding the three AED’s and a Karl Sandelin Grant enabled the acquisition of the life-preserver stations for both piers. The additional Rotary district “multipliers” made it possible for the Rotary Club of South haven to distribute both awards to the City this summer.