Ireland Women’s National Team Captain Katie McCabe yesterday presented an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) to her local club Kilnamanagh AFC and the Kilnamanagh Family Rescource Centre on behalf of the Mrs. Brown’s Boys FAI Heart Care programme.
The state-of-the-art LIFEPAK CR2 (cellular version) defibrillator has been presented to the club and the local community centre by the FAI and Mrs. Brown’s Boys, and supplied via Heartsafety Solutions, to replace a unit which was recently destroyed in an act of vandalism.
The presentation was made possible by the recent FAI AED initiative for Grassroots football, funded by Government, to provide subsidised defibrillators for Grassroots clubs in phase three of the Mrs. Brown’s Boys FAI Heart Care programme.
“This is a great gesture on the part of the Mrs. Brown’s Boys FAI Heart Care programme and one that will make a real impact for the community in Kilnamanagh,” said McCabe.
“The football club and the Family Resource Centre facilities are so important to the area and I am delighted to be part of this AED presentation today.”
“My wife Jenny and I and our family are thrilled that the Mrs. Brown’s Boys’ involvement with the FAI on our Heart Care initiative has now come to the aid of the community in Kilnamanagh and to all those who play and support football there, whatever their age,” added Mrs. Brown’s Boys creator Brendan O’Carroll.
“We are all aware how vital a resource this can be in any community and we know this replacement AED Unit will make a real difference to everyone in the Kilnamanagh area.”
“When we heard of the devastating news that the AED unit at the Kilnamanagh Family Resource Centre had been destroyed by vandals, our FAI staff immediately suggested we look to replace the unit as part of the Mrs. Brown’s Boys FAI Heart Care programme and we are delighted to be able to facilitate this replacement today,” said FAI Medical Director Dr Alan Byrne.
The FAI driven AED Grassroots scheme sees over 300 clubs offered a state-of-the-art LIFEPAK CR2 (cellular version) defibrillator along with an eight-year mobile phone data plan and training for 10 people in Basic Life Support and use of an Automatic External Defibrillator.
This package is valued at €3,600 but benefits from an FAI discount which brings the total cost down to €2,500. Thanks to Government funding of almost €400,000, negotiated by the FAI on behalf of the Grassroots game, the package has been made available to 316 clubs at a reduced cost of €1,250. This amounts to a 50 per cent discount on the package cost price, with the balance funded by the FAI and Government and distributed via the Mrs. Brown’s Boys FAI Heart Care programme founded in 2018.
