A fundraiser that began in the fall of 2019 but was halted by the March tornado outbreak and COVID-19 has finally come to a completion for School Resource Officers. Critical incidents are something we hope we never have to experience in a school setting, but preparedness in the event that a critical incident could occur is vital to saving lives. Wilson Central and Lebanon High have joined a list of schools throughout Wilson County after School Resource Officers raised enough money through numerous donations from parents, citizens, school clubs and local businesses to fund their original goal of placing a bleeding control kit in every classroom as well as high trafficked areas such as gyms and sports facilities.

Stop The Bleed kits are a resource for schools to use in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives. Health officials say one of the most common contributing factors in trauma-related events is preventable blood loss. The items in these kits help control the loss of blood, leading to better outcomes for those who are injured. SROs Robert Locke (WCHS) and Dusty Burton (LHS) are two that LHS SRO Cpl. Matt McPeak gave a lot of credit to for their assistance in seeking donations. “After we came back for the beginning of this school year, we began fundraising again and thanks to the enormous help from SRO Burton and WCHS SRO Locke (who was instrumental in raising money for Wilson Central), we were able to fund our original goal to place a kit in every classroom among other areas of LHS”, McPeak said. “I cannot possibly mention everyone but I want to express just how thankful we are for the support and donations from these businesses and this community.”