Winter Haven Touchdown Club Receives 54th AED from Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation
by James Coulter
The Blue Devils Touchdown Club at Winter Haven High School recently scored a real touchdown with an automated externaldefibrillator donated to their facility.
On Tuesday evening, Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation (CCF) donated and installed their 54th AED to the football team’s booster club at Winter Haven High School.
BJ Mannix, the club’s treasurer, knows CCF’s founder, Melanie Brown Culpepper. Mannix has been a close friend of hers for 20 years and a huge supporter of her causes, including CCF.
Recently, Mannix has reached out to Melanie to inquire about having an AED installed over at Winter Haven High School.
“Having this AED in the Touchdown Club’s reach, and, more importantly, the coach’s reach, will relieve us all” he explained. “With a roster of 90 players each year, there are no words to describe the benefits of having an AED close by. Whether it be on the practice field, in the locker room, in the weight room, or at Denison Stadium, we will have it with us all the time.”
He was impressed by how the donation was financed through Bingo for a Cause, a monthly fundraiser hosted at Tanner’s Lakeside in Winter Haven. Having her make such a generous donation was nothing short of laudable, he said.
“Melanie and her CCF team are nothing short of amazing,” he said. “We as a community need to support her as much as we can. Her efforts WILL save a life one day.”
Jeremy Lawhorn, president of the Touchdown Club, considered the donation, along with the fundraiser that helped finance it, as a creative, commendable effort.
“We are very appreciative of the work they are doing and donating us an AED,” Lawhorn said. “The AED will bring some security and peace of mind to the team, coaches, and volunteers that we have it in case of an emergency. I think Melanie and her team are doing a wonderful job at bringing awareness to the community about life-saving preparedness.”
Carl White, head football coach, who has been with the team for two years, appreciates having such a valuable, life-saving device handy, especially with a high-intensity sport like football.
“I think it’s a great cause with our sport having dealt with some of the most high-profile heat-related deaths and other cardiac issues,” he said. “Having this AED at the ready should bring comfort to our players and our program.”
Melanie Brown Culpepper stated CCF nearly four years ago following the untimely passing of her late fiancée, Michael Culpepper, who passed away from cardiac arrest.
Not wanting anyone else to suffer a similar fate, Melanie started CCF to raise funds and install AED across Polk County. Since then, she has donated 54 and counting AEDs to local businesses, eateries, and other establishments.
Melanie will be hosting her organization’s annual fundraiser, Saving Lives Matter, on Sat. Nov. 30 at Tanners Lakeside in Winter Haven. For more information, visit their Facebook page at: facebook.com/honoringculpepper
