Not afraid to dream big, a group of Enumclaw High School students are putting together a full-day program that aims to save lives.
Their inspiration is DREAM BIG: Anything is Possible, an initiative of the Seattle-based (and celebrity driven) Why Not You Foundation. The foundation was launched in 2014 by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who has been joined in the effort by his wife, the entertainer Ciara.
A group of DREAM BIG teens are the force behind the 2019 Save A Life Conference, slated for Saturday, June 8, in the Enumclaw High commons. Joining them in the community-focused effort are a trio of EHS teacher advocates – Allison Abrahamse, Steven Murphy and Gunner Argo – and Tandra Solvey, who works in Teen Services with the King County Library System.
Abrahamse credits Solvey with bringing the DREAM BIG idea to Enumclaw High, where students were challenged with brainstorming possible events that would benefit the community. Abrahamse said the message to students was, “people are willing to give you $3,500 to do something awesome.”
The lone requirement, she said, was that students had to come up with a idea that would impress their faculty advisers.
In the end, a proposal by senior Taylor Anglin was chosen. She describes the upcoming conference as a series of classes, all taught by medical professionals, all intended to give attendees the skills to handle common medical emergencies. She was motivated to suggest the Save A Life Conference by a classroom experience where a fellow student suffered a seizure.
Anglin figured everyone should have some basic training in emergency response and her proposal was chosen from a field of options.
Aside from Anglin and the trio of faculty advocates, Enumclaw High’s Dream Big team consists of Nejib Khayat, Jesse Lowthorp, Sam Salomon, Malynn Williams, Cooper Williamson, Jacob Woodley and Emma Murphy.
The Save A Life Conference is geared toward adults and teens 16 and older from Enumclaw and surrounding communities. The event is expected to begin at 10 a.m. and run until 5 p.m., all taking place in the Enumclaw High commons. Attendees are not required to remain for the entire day.
Details are still being finalized but it’s anticipated the conference will begin with introductions and a keynote speaker, followed by a series of workshops that attendees will be able to choose from. Possible workshop topics include how to recognize and respond to medical crises like cardiac arrest, stroke or seizures, overdose, impact injuries, and more.
Workshops will be offered by organizations like the Evergreen Safety Council, the Nick of Time Foundation, Cascadia Emergency Management and NAMI Seattle.
The event is free, including lunch.
Registration for the June 8 conference is required. To sign up, visit: kcls.org/savealife or kcls.org/SaveALife
THE LAUNCH OF DREAM BIG
It was a snowy day in February when Russell Wilson and Ciara surprised a group of from Foster High School students at the Tukwila Library.
The celebrity duo were there to announce DREAM BIG: Anything is Possible, formed in partnership with the King County Library System, KCLS Foundation and JPMorgan Chase.
The DREAM BIG campaign encourages high school students to utilize the wide range of teen programs and resources offered at community libraries, a media release stated.
Wilson and Ciara spoke with attendees about their vision with the new campaign.
Wilson began by explaining why the foundation is named Why Not You. He told students it was a question his father used to ask him. His dad would ask: “why don’t you graduate early?” or “why don’t you play professional baseball?”
Wilson said everyone should ask themselves — “why can’t I be successful?” He added that successful people don’t just ask that question; they find the answer to it.
Ciara told guests “all it takes is one person to believe in you and that’s you.”
