Local student's senior project is to equip every family in her school district with live-saving device

GRACE — With senior projects still mandatory at Grace High School, Riley Wood took the opportunity to not only complete her requirement but found a way to benefit families throughout the school district.

Senior projects help students develop skills in project management, develop critical thinking and problem solve.

All such skills Wood has set out to learn by raising the $21,000 necessary to place an anti-choking device in the hands of every Grace School District family.

Brandi Turner, co-owner of Country Prim, was the one who initially introduced the LifeVac device to Wood and helped her do the research.

It didn’t take long for Wood to realize that families could benefit from having such a device on hand in their homes.

Choking incidents are on the rise nationwide and are becoming the fourth leading cause of unintentional deaths in the U.S.

Statistics show at least one child dies roughly every five days in the U.S. due to choking and there are over 12,000 recorded emergency room visits per year caused by choking with grapes being the number one choking hazard.

One could argue children are more prone to choking accidents but studies show choking is one of the leading causes of unintentional deaths among American adults over the age of 65.

Choking accidents happen instantly and due to the lack of training such incidents can be terrifying.

Wood read about how often these accidents happen and chose to use her senior project to help save lives.

Country Prim hosted a Pop-Up recently with a number of community vendors to raise money for Wood's project. With the cost of the devices, other fundraisers are in the works but any donation would really help.

Wood said, “Thank you in advance to all who can help. I really think choosing a project that is relevant or something to help people around you can make the project amazing and not seem like school work. Not only does it teach life skills but also how to interact with people and make a difference. I really want to make a difference.”

Please contact Wood at 208-530-2580 to help a good cause.