News
Grant Funding to Expand CPR Education in Melton
January 24, 2026 | IN Media Release and News | BY AVID | 3 min read
Carolina by AVID Property Group (AVID) has announced St John Ambulance Victoria (St John) as the recipient of its annual community sponsorships and grants program, awarding $5,000 to support the organisation to deliver linguistically diverse CPR and first aid education resources for Melton and the wider community.
The plan to widen St John’s approach responds to local needs, with nearly 10 percent of the Melton population reporting having difficulty with English and more than 85 percent speaking languages other than English at home and with relatives.
St John Victoria Chief Executive Officer Gordon Botwright said that Carolina’s support for the second consecutive year would help extend the organisation’s vision of ‘more lives saved’ by ensuring communities have access to lifesaving knowledge, no matter what language they speak.
“After such a fantastic year of bringing our mobile training facility, CPR Lab program to Carolina, we’re excited to receive this grant again and work towards implementing widespread knowledge and skills that could potentially save a life,” Mr Botwright said.
“For every minute someone goes without CPR and defibrillation, their chances of survival go down by 10 percent, however with accurate technique and when delivered together, these vital first aid techniques can increase cardiac arrest survival rates up to 70 percent.
“We believe that first aid should be a universally accessible skill, and this funding from AVID will help contribute to our ambitious goal of increasing cardiac arrest survival rates to eight percent by the end of 2026.”
AVID first supported St John with a community grant in 2024 and, earlier this year, also collaborated with the organisation to deliver a first aid in the home educational video series as part of its AVIDEngage program.
With more than three quarters (78 percent) of cardiac arrests occurring within the home, AVID Acting General Manager Victoria Bruce Harper said the developer could not have selected a more deserving recipient for this year’s grants program.
“We’re proud to once again be offering meaningful and tangible support to St John, reflecting our commitment to supporting programs and organisations that deliver real, and in this case, potentially lifesaving benefits to our community,” Mr Harper said.
“Carolina wouldn’t be the warm and welcoming place it is without the strong sense of community and togetherness shown by our residents, which is why supporting organisations that share our commitment to their wellbeing – like St John – will always be a priority.”
St John will use this round of grant funding will support the delivery of a new dedicated CPR series that will be produced in multiple languages in both audio and video formats, with production anticipated for late 2025.
For more information, visit www.carolina.staging1.avid.com.au
