In 2018, Hoist Liftruck selected our first ever corporate philanthropy partner - the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross, or Red Cross, is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. We specifically chose this organization due to their nationwide services, including our very own Northwest Indiana community, but also for the fact that they could potentially lend a helping hand to someone in our nationwide dealer network in the unfortunate circumstance of disaster.

Specifically, we work with the Red Cross Merrillville chapter to organize events and volunteer efforts within our Hoist Liftruck team. For our very first project, our entire 300-person factory team took part in a hands-on Citizens CPR training under the guidance of two Merrillville Red Cross team members with assistance from our own Safety Manager, Oscar Valencia.

The training consisted of hands-only CPR techniques for administering to both adults and infants less than a year old. Our Hoist Liftruck “students” were taught the proper form when administering hands-only CPR. They also learned just how vital it is to step in when someone is unresponsive and not breathing - so long as they are comfortable. They learned the statistics of how important it is to give CPR, but were also encouraged to go out into their communities and share these life-saving techniques with their friends, families and neighbors. The best part about the Citizen’s CPR training is that it had created an entire network of first aid responders in less than a day. Hoist Liftruck now has 300 individuals on-hand to step in and help save the life of another person until trained help arrives. They were even given a handout sheet with a full list of directions reminding them what to do and why Citizen’s CPR is vital for communities everywhere.

This first event was a great success, and even included a group sing-along to the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive” during each group’s practice administration. All of us at Hoist Liftruck are excited to continue to work with the Red Cross and have the privilege to give back to this great Northwest Indiana community for years to come.