A nonprofit wants to provide the necessary resources to ensure low-income or medically underdeveloped communities are ready to respond to emergencies by hosting its inaugural charity Wiffle ball tournament on Sunday, Oct. 12.
The Emergency Ready Project will take place at Moorestown’s Wesley Bishop Upper Grass Field – adjacent to the turf fields – beginning at 9:30 a.m. Team registration fees will directly benefit the nonprofit’s work.
Founded earlier this year, the project educates, provides supplies and offers partnerships that enhance community safety. Its goals include helping people recover from disasters; hosting free classes in CPR and other first aid; Narcan/epinephrine training; and raising money for emergency squads to improve equipment.
The Emergency Ready Project operates primarily in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware to foster community collaboration regarding safety.
“I’m a volunteer firefighter in Cinnaminson, and what I’ve noticed is, when we go on calls sometimes, there’s no helping people when we’re late to the call,” said Cole Ransom, executive director of the project. “If somebody goes into cardiac arrest, they need help quickly, and if community members aren’t trained in CPR and first aid, waiting for the ambulance … the patient has a very low likelihood of survival.
“So that’s the main goal – to make sure that everybody has equal opportunity.”
Ransom noted that Moorestown already has a responsive and quick first aid squad, with limitations.
“In lower-income, underprivileged areas like Camden or Philadelphia,” he explained, “the EMS system is very strained, and so it can take a long time. Due to the fact that these areas are underserved, a lot of people there don’t have the knowledge to step in to provide CPR. What we’re doing is we’re trying to raise money to offer that for free.”
Open to players of any age, teams for the charity Wiffle ball tournament will consist of six to 10 players each. The tournament will be double-elimination style, so every team is guaranteed at least two games. End time depends on a team’s record. Additional prizes will be awarded to the team that helps raise the most money.
Corporate sponsors are welcome, with a minimum donation of $100. The registration fee is $250 per team. They can sign up prior to the event at www.emergencyreadyproject.org.
“We want to see a difference in the way that emergencies are dealt with,” Ransom noted. “We want to see the community take an active role, we want to see less bystanders (and) we want to see more upstanders. We want people to understand that they have the ability to get trained with us …
“We want to be able to do our best to sponsor you to get the training that you need so you can feel confident – because we want everyone to be confident to save a life.”
