Members of the Lungaard Love Foundation pose with Appleton school officials following the donation of 25 Bleeding Control Kit Cabinets to the district. One cabinet holds six bleeding control kits that can be used to stop life threatening blood loss before first responders arrive to a scene. PC: Fox 11 Online
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Nearly six years after Appleton firefighter Mitch Lundgaard was shot and killed in the line of duty, his family continues to give back to the community that supported them through the unimaginable tragedy.
On Tuesday, the Lundgaard Love Foundation made a lifesaving donation to the Appleton Area School District.
Mitch Lundgaard’s widow says the gift is fitting, because Mitch was the most prepared person she’d ever met.
According to Lindsey Lundgaard Lindberg, “Whether it was in his work as a firefighter, or just in everyday life, he believed deeply in being prepared for anything. He also believed in protecting people, especially our kids.”
And that’s why the Lundgaard Love Foundation, created in memory of Mitch Lundgaard, is donating 25 bleeding control kit cabinets to all the schools in the Appleton Area School District.
“We know that the fire department here and across the state has been advocating to have these in schools, so we are prepared for the worst,” said Lundgaard Lindberg.
Each box contains a bag with six bleeding control kits. Materials include a tourniquet, gauze and other items which can be used to stop life-threatening blood loss before first responders arrive to a scene.
AASD plans to mount the cabinets near the AEDs that already hang in every school building — cognizant of how crucial these kits can be in the face of tragedy.
“Being nurses in the education-type setting, we don’t have the tools that a health office or hospital has to diagnose or treat, so this is just one more little tool in our toolbox that we have if and when needed,” said Jayme Shea, school lead nurse for the district.
While the kits can help to save lives, they’re also a thank you to the community that supported Lundgaard’s personal and professional family at the time of his death and beyond.
“We could not have gotten through without that love and support, and it’s important to us to be able to give it back to the community,” Lundgaard Lindberg said.
“Every chance I get, I want to say Mitch’s name — get him out there, share his story, remember his name. I’ve been heavily involved in these stop-the-bleed kits and active shooter response because of that. So here’s an opportunity to blend those two worlds and hopefully make a difference going forward,” added friend and Appleton Fire Department Captain Ryan Less.
The hope is the materials in these kits are never needed, but Mitch Lundgaard would still want to be prepared.
This is the second set of bleeding control kits the Lundgaard Love Foundation has donated to a school district. The foundation previously donated kits to the Kimberly School District, where Lundgaard’s three sons attend.
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