INDIANAPOLIS — The Bolt For The Heart (BFTH) foundation continued to deliver on the promise to equip Indiana State Police patrol vehicles with lifesaving Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) with the gift of 95 additional AED’s. This was in addition to the more than 50 AED’s presented to ISP in March of this year.
The Superintendent of the Indiana State Police, Doug Carter, thanked Pierre Twer, founder of the BFTH organization at the presentation Dec. 12.
What truly helped bring home the importance and significance of the donation of AED’s was the personal story story shared by Pastor Daniel Schumm, of Cornerstone Lutheran Church, Carmel. His recounting of how an AED being present at the right place, and at the right time, cemented in everyone’s mind the lifesaving capability of an AED when it’s readily available.
The donation of the AED’s to the state police was the result of an experience Pierre Twer had while running in the 2010 Boston Marathon. During that race Pierre witnessed another marathon runner suffer a cardiac arrest. That runner was saved by an AED.
This inspired Pierre to collaborate with Heart Reach Carmel and establish the Bolt for the Heart 5K Family Thanksgiving Run, of which 2016 was the fifth year for the run and the second consecutive year the Indiana State Police was the primary recipient of the AED’s. Since its inception, this 5K run has grown from 41 runners to more than 2,800 that participated this past Thanksgiving Day.
Each year since the run started 100 percent of the proceeds have been used to purchase AED’s for donation to not for profit organizations.
