By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— Four special guests were acknowledged at the Pelham Board of Education meeting Oct. 26 as the board recognized the Lord Wedgewood Charity and Andrews Sports Medicine for the donation of two AEDs.

Dr. Emily Casey with Andrews Sports Medicine and Floyd Larkin, a board member with Lord Wedgewood, presented the schools with the AEDs. In its first year of existence, Larkin said the charity donated 38 defibrillators to the community and saved three lives in nine months.

“We feel like many, many lives were saved because of us leading the charge and putting defibrillators out in the community,” Larkin said.

Amanda Cox and former Pelham High School principal Bob Lavett know first hand how important those AEDs are to the school system. When Cox, a 2003 graduate of Pelham High School, was in school, she had a case of cardiac arrest.

“It did its job,” Lavett said. “That AED is one of the finest pieces of equipment. It is the only project I have ever said I will go door-to-door and sell that to people…We are just so thankful that we had that.”

Cox was one of about 9,500 students under the age of 18 who go down with cardiac arrest each year, making these defibrillators even more important. Since then, she went on to graduate from the University of Alabama, got married and her baby just turned 2.

This donation has provided an addition AED at Valley Intermediate and Valley Elementary, giving both schools two. Pelham High School has six and Riverchase Middle School has three.

The board also,

• Approved the personnel recommendations by Coefield.
• Approved a Participant District Agreement between the Tallassee Board of Education and the Pelham City Board of Education to administer the Medical Administrative Claim Program.
• Approved the academic sponsor supplement schedule.
• Approved supplements for extra-curricular coaches.

The next regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting will be Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m.