News of AED Fund Efforts Travels Far and Wide

Technology is helping to save lives, but not just from a medical standpoint.

to keep at the dojo. One of the dojo’s members, Andrea Petrone, who is a representative for Stella & Dot jewelry, agreed to have a jewelry party in her home and donate part of her commission to the AED fundraising effort.

After Jefferson Patch ran that story and it was posted to Patch’s Facebook page, Joe Zboch, a marketing assistant for Brentwood, Tenn.-based AED.com, saw the story, and posted it to his company’s Facebook page with the following message:

We found out that a small business was taking a big step to become a safer place for all of their customers. That's right Oak Ridge Martial Arts Academy in New Jersey is raising funds for a new AED!

We thought it would be awesome if we could help them reach their goal. So with a bit of good luck and team work, we will be helping Andrea Smith Petrone (who is also a kickboxer at Oak Ridge!!) spread the word about her fundraiser.

At this link http://www.stelladot.com/ts/xwyi5

you can find Andrea's special page in which a portion of sales made will be donated toward getting an AED for Oak Ridge.

How awesome is that? So, we are encouraging you to "like" this post, check out the great Jewelry and Accessories that Andrea's Stella & Dot, and buy some for a great cause.

Thanks! Be sure to comment on this post anything that catches your eye :)

“We’re always excited to see when anyone wants to get an AED, and we want to try and help as much as we can,” Zboch said. “I spoke with Andrea, and we will probably post something about her efforts another two times before the end of September.”

Petrone said that Zboch called her after he saw the story.

“I was very happy to hear from Joe,” she said. “He called me the day after the first story ran and asked if it would be okay to post something about my party, and of course I said yes.”

The range of the fundraising efforts has not escaped the notice of the dojo’s owners, Matt and Katherine VonWolput.

“I never in a million years anticipated that this would draw as much attention and as much fundraising as it has,” Katherine VonWolput said. “I went into it literally with the thought of earning a little money for the AED and supporting one of our members. It's turned into so much more.”

While Petrone said she had not yet gotten any orders as a result of the Facebook posting, people have commented on AED.com’s post, and she hopes to receive orders soon.

Petrone will accept jewelry orders until Sept. 29. To browse the catalog or place an order, visit her Stella & Dot link.

Patch will provide an update as to the final donation to the dojo after the party closes.