A Shared Commitment to Safety

FreeState Giving Helps Put Lifesaving AEDs Within Reach

Safety is a priority at FreeState Electric Cooperative. It is part of the responsibility that comes with maintaining miles of infrastructure and serving members across northeast Kansas. It also includes taking opportunities to help make the communities the cooperative serves safer places to live, work and play.

That shared commitment to safety made the Kaw Valley Public Access Defibrillator Foundation a natural fit for FreeState’s 2026 Sharing Success Program.

FreeState employees and trustees raised $18,000 to support the foundation and its mission of increasing survival from sudden cardiac death by expanding access to automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, and promoting public education about timely bystander cardiac resuscitation. 

The volunteers behind Kaw Valley PAD Foundation understand that having an AED available when a sudden cardiac arrest occurs can make a critical difference in life-or-death situations. For FreeState employees and trustees, supporting that work is another way of putting a familiar principle into practice: safety starts with people looking out for people.

Giving Powered by Employees
Each year, FreeState employees reach into their own pockets to raise money for a nonprofit organization selected through the program. The program is designed to support nonprofit projects that align with employee values and allows FreeState to put resources directly behind organizations working to meet local needs. 

It is one piece of FreeState’s broader commitment to investing in the people, partnerships and programs that strengthen the places its members call home. Through local giving programs, the cooperative seeks out organizations already doing meaningful work and helps provide additional resources so that they can do more. 

For Kaw Valley PAD Foundation, that means putting funding toward equipment that could someday help save a life.

Keeping Lifesaving Equipment Ready
Supported by a small committee of volunteers since 2010, the Kaw Valley PAD Foundation provides access to AEDs in Northeast Kansas and beyond – currently, the Kansas Turnpike Service Areas (Lawrence, Topeka, Emporia, Matfield Green, Towanda and Belle Plaine), Auburn Community Center and SportZone in Topeka. 

AEDs require ongoing maintenance, including replacing pads and batteries to ensure the devices remain ready when needed. Several of the existing defibrillators are reaching the end of their service life and will need to be replaced.

“Access to defibrillation is especially important in locations where help may not be immediately available,” said Tammy Tipton, KVPAD board member. “Successful resuscitation depends on early defibrillation within minutes of cardiac arrest, making the placement of accessible AEDs in public spaces particularly important.”

The organization is also looking for opportunities to expand that safety net. Kaw Valley PAD Foundation is working with the Topeka Pickleball Association and Shawnee County Parks & Recreation to coordinate AED placements at local courts in outdoor park locations. 

That approach closely mirrors FreeState’s own view of safety. Equipment matters, along with preparation, maintenance and having the right resources available before an emergency occurs.

Putting Dollars Where They Matter
The $18,000  raised by FreeState employees and trustees will help Kaw Valley PAD Foundation address a tangible community need.

An employee contribution on its own may seem small. Combined with contributions from coworkers and trustees, those dollars can become equipment, programs and resources that make a measurable difference.

It is cooperative partnership in action.

“I am so proud of all of our employees and trustees,” said Chris Parr, CEO. “Year after year our people dip into their own pockets and rally around an organization that does great things in our communities.” 

“This year we found a common thread in safety,” Parr added. 

Whether it is a FreeState employee preparing for a day in the field or a volunteer making sure an AED is ready for an emergency, the goal is ultimately the same: protect people, prepare before something happens and make sure the right tools are accessible when seconds count.

FreeState employees and trustees aren't simply providing $18,000  in funding. They're helping extend that culture of safety beyond the cooperative and into the communities they serve.