FORMER AP COUNCILMAN & CBA COMMUNITY SEND LIFE-SAVING TOURNIQUETS TO UKRAINE FRONT LINES

(August 9, 2022) Christian Brothers Academy alumni, students, faculty and coaches recently helped send hundreds of desperately needed, life-saving, military-grade tourniquets to the front lines of Ukraine.

The CBA community partnered with Third World Volunteers, a disaster relief non-profit set up to mobilize medical and non-medical responders and sustainable aid to underserved and affected communities.

The effort was spearheaded by former Asbury Park Councilman and CBA Class of ’89 alum, Jim Keady. Keady has disaster relief experience having worked here in NJ after Hurricane Sandy; as well in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria; and in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian. Keady also worked on the frontlines of the Syrian refugee crisis on the island of Lesvos, Greece and worked to help families escape Afghanistan after the pullout of US troops earlier this year.

“Dr. Alison Thompson (the founder of Third World Volunteers) and I worked together in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian and we both served in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and on Lesvos with the refugee crisis,” said Keady. “I saw that she was doing field medic trainings on the front lines in Ukraine and I was aware from other relief worker colleagues that there was a pressing need for military-grade tourniquets for both military and civilian field medics. The requests for these supplies were just not being met and I wanted to help.”

Through a fellow aid worker, Keady connected with a “Stop the Bleed” tourniquet instructor, who in turn connected him with a tourniquet supplier who could provide the tourniquets at $22 per unit. He then turned to the community at CBA, where he currently coaches with the Boys Soccer program, for help.

“The goal was to raise $15,000 and the CBA alumni, students, faculty, and coaches came through with flying colors,” said a thankful Keady.

Thousands of dollars came in through a car wash at CBA organized by CBA faculty member, Matt Butler and CBA Class of 2019 alum, James Huber. Huber donated the equipment from his auto-detailing company and Butler’s students in the Christian Service program provided the muscle to wash dozens and dozens of cars of parents, friends, alumni, and supporters. The remainder of the $15K raised came from CBA alumni and other member of the local community.

The tourniquets were delivered, along with the training to use them, by Dr. Thompson and her team across communities on the front lines of the war.

“The tourniquets were life-savers, literally,” said Dr. Thompson. “They made it to all the right places on the very front lines, they are like gold here.”

To learn more about the work that Third Wave Volunteers are doing in Ukraine and in other disaster theaters around the world, visit www.thirdworldvolunteers.com.