DRHBA DONATES MIKEYS TO OSHAWA SENIOR CITIZENS CENTRES  
THE MIKEY NETWORK
OSHAWA SENIORS CITIZENS CENTRES CUTLINE
May 28, 2008

The Oshawa Senior Citizens Centre has received a special gift in celebration of its 40th Anniversary. Through The Mikey Network, the Durham Region Home Builders’ Association (DRHBA) recently donated a public-access defibrillator called a MIKEY, to the Centre to be used in its Mobile Transportation program. DRHBA President Scott Jeffery and Past President Kathy Chateauvert met with Gloria Goard, Director of the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centres, at the John Street Branch as Hugh Heron, President of Heathwood Homes and Chairman/Co-founder of The Mikey Network made the presentation.

This MIKEY unit will offer a chance for survival for victims of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Each year in Ontario, more than 6,500 people experience this problem, which can strike without warning. Over 10 per cent of these cardiac arrests occur out of the home, and defibrillators are the only definitive treatment. The shock from a MIKEY can greatly increase a person’s chance at living if it is used within the first critical moments following the incident, even before emergency personnel arrive. A trained “target responder” using a MIKEY can improve survival rates by up to 50 per cent.

DRHBA (www.drhba.com) is the voice of the residential construction industry in Durham Region. The Association works to achieve an environment in which its members can operate profitably, and promotes affordability and choice of high-quality homes for their customers. The Oshawa Senior Citizens Centres (www.oscc.ca) is a not-for-profit agency that offers programs and services to adults 5 years + at a number of Oshawa locations, as well as transportation services.

The Mikey Network was named for Mike Salem, a valued partner in Heathwood Homes and The Heron Group who died from SCA while golfing in 2002. In 2003, The Mikey Network was born with the goals of inspiring heart-healthy living and placing MIKEYs in high-risk locations. To date, The Mikey Network has raised $1 million and has committed 400 MIKEYs across the GTA.
For more information, visit www.mikeynetwork.com.

Cutline: Durham Region Home Builders’ President, Scott Jeffery and Past President Kathy Chateauvert recently presented a MIKEY defibrillator to Gloria Goard, Director of the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centres, John Street Branch. Hugh Heron, President of Heathwood Homes and Co-Chairman of The Mikey Network and Morty Henkle Executive Director of The Mikey Network were also at the presentation.