AEDs have the power to make organizations safer and better for all the hearts they serve. As we celebrate CPR/AED Awareness Month, we are spotlighting a local youth-based organization that has benefitted from an AED donation from Living for Zachary in 2022!
We sat down with Meri Dickens, Commissioner of Tri-Cities Softball in Kennard, TX, to learn about her decision to apply for an AED and how this donation will impact their athletes for years to come.
L4Z: Please tell us a bit about Tri-Cities and who you are.
Meri: Tri-Cities Youth Softball League is a community run organization that provides a supervised softball program for girls ages 4-19. We strive to provide a fun and safe atmosphere of informed instruction of sound fundamentals of girls fast pitch softball, encourage and demonstrate sportsmanship, good character and respect for umpires, coaches, volunteers, board of directors, teammates and opponents. Our Board is made up of volunteers who donate time and money to the league to make it a success. The organization was originally founded in 1982 by Nelson Davis, Mary Johns and Frances Gillham and was known as the Apple Springs-Centerville Dixie Youth League. Through consolidations and changes made in 2005 and 2006 baseball and softball were split into 2 separate organizations and in 2007 the name was changed to Tri-Cities Youth Softball League. We still play at the same complex that was built in 1984 by the original founders.
L4Z: How do you feel you help to prepare young athletes for the future?
Meri: Our mission is not only to teach girls the fundamentals of softball and prepare them for participation in Junior High and High School levels of the sport but also to encourage their love for the game, teach life lessons such as teamwork, patience, responsibility, determination, sportsmanship, dedication following instructions, and leadership, help build confidence, and help create lifelong friendships and memories. Being part of a softball team is like being part of a family where your teammates are like your sisters and your coaches are like extra parents. We encourage the girls to step out of their comfort zone by trying out new positions, participating in team building drills and exercises, and participating in tournaments.
As a board member it is my job to work with the other board members to create a safe and fun environment for the girls. As a coach it is my job is to not only teach the girls the game of softball but guide them through the many life lessons that they will learn through playing the sport and being a member of the team, to encourage them to set goals and then help them reach them, to lift them up when they make a mistake and show them how to correct it, to be a shoulder they can cry on if need be and to offer advice and support when they need it both on and off the field.
I think my favorite part about doing what I do with Tri-Cities is seeing the light bulb go off in the middle of a game when something we have worked on finally clicks and all the crazy drills and long practices make sense, when I see a girl who has been struggling at the plate get an amazing hit or watch them make an amazing play in the field, watching the timid first time player break out of her shell and see her potential, seeing the improvements both small and big, and most of all watching them succeed both on and off the field.
L4Z: How did you hear about Living for Zachary’s AED Donation Program?
Meri: I actually stumbled across Living for Zachary’s AED Donation Program while doing a Google search for AED grants for non profit youth sports organizations.
L4Z: What prompted your decision to apply for an AED?
Meri: We have never had an AED at the complex before and have been looking into how to get one for a couple of years now. The biggest factor in our decision to get an AED is our girls and their families and their well being. Our complex is located in a rural area where calling for an ambulance or rushing someone to the hospital that is 30 miles away would take valuable time that they may not have and having an AED on site could be a life saving factor and an addition to the CPR training that our volunteers and coaches go through. Too many young athletes have been lost due to undiagnosed health issues and having the AED could mean the difference between life or death for a young athlete.
L4Z: Has your organization ever experienced a medical emergency? What did this experience teach you?
Meri: Yes we have. Nothing that would have required an AED but we have had diabetic emergencies, a player who had a seizure during a game, allergic reactions, severe asthma attacks and a few breaks and sprains. Each experience has taught us that being prepared for any type of emergency is important and having the tools necessary to handle any emergency is key to being prepared.
L4Z: What was the application process like and how were you notified that you received an AED?
Meri: The application process was really easy. The questionnaire was easy to complete and the communication from submitting the application to receiving the AED was phenomenal. Any time I had a question my emails were replied to quickly. I was notified that our organization would receive an AED through email.
L4Z: Where is your AED kept when athletes are practicing or competing?
Meri: Currently our AED is being kept in the concession stand while we wait on our cabinet to come in. Once the cabinet comes in we will install the cabinet on the outside of the concession stand and the AED will be housed inside the cabinet.
L4Z: How has Tri-Cities Softball been made better by this AED donation?
Meri: In today’s youth sports world more kids are being affected by undiagnosed health issues or undetected cardiac issues. This coupled with our very rural location it will provide a higher level of emergency first aid until professional care can arrive or be obtained.
L4Z: If you could say one thing to youth athletic organizations that don’t currently have an AED, what would you say?
Meri: GET ONE! Reach out to organizations like Living for Zachary, apply for donations or grants, whatever you have to do to get an AED for your organization. I pray that we never have to use ours but just knowing that it is there in case of an emergency gives me a little peace of mind.