Proceeds
Volunteering
St John volunteers are the lifeblood of the organisation. An enormous team of caring volunteers give of their time 365 days a year to support the wellbeing of all South Australians through the provision of first aid and related services.
Your support of St John allows more volunteers to be trained and equipped to the highest standard to be there for you and your loved ones when you need them the most.
Event Health Services
If you have been to an event in South Australia, whether it be AFL, the Tour Down Under, or a school sports day, it is likely that St John volunteers were there keeping you safe.
From strains and sprains to anaphylaxis and cardiac arrest, you can be assured that a trained St John volunteer will be on the ground ready to respond.
First Aid in Schools
We are proud to offer FREE first aid training to all South Australian primary school children. Each year we train around 10,000 children in lifesaving first aid skills.
A St John First Aid Trainer delivers customised first aid training to each year level. Students learn vital skills, such as how to call an ambulance, dealing with an unconscious person, managing injuries and bleeding, what to do when someone is choking, and older students learn how to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
This program is fully funded by our generous sponsors and donors as well as our commercial activities. Without the support of people like you, we would not be able to provide this vital service to our next generation of first aiders.
Often children are at home with just one parent or grandparent at a time and may need to be the one to respond in an emergency situation. First Aid in Schools equips our children with the knowledge and confidence to respond and even save a life.
Youth Development
Our cadet program allows youth aged 11-17 years to develop a range of first aid and life skills while earning proficiency badges, getting involved in competitions and camps, practising first aid skills under supervision at public events, making friends and having fun.
Cadets can even work towards achieving SACE points through their involvement with St John Ambulance SA. More than just first aid, the program develops a range of transferrable skills that see our cadets become confident, empathetic, driven members of society with a passion for giving back to their community.
Supporting St John supports the development of our young leaders of tomorrow.
Public Access Defibrillators
Only 1 in 10 survive. That is the shocking reality of sudden cardiac arrest survival rates in South Australia. We are working to change those odds by partnering with organisations to install public access defibrillators throughout South Australia, particularly in remote and regional areas where access to emergency medical care can be hours away.
The first few minutes after a cardiac arrest are critical – the chances of survival decrease by 10% for every minute that passes without defibrillation. It is a silent killer that does not discriminate based on age, gender or health status – cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere.
Our mission is to make first aid part of everyone’s life. By working towards all South Australians being first aid trained and having access to an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), we believe we can improve the chances of survival for cardiac arrest. If defibrillated within the first few minutes, survival rates can increase to up to 70%.
We can do better than 1 in 10. Help us change the odds for all South Australians.
Life Saved Stories
We cannot think of a better outcome from the work of St John than a life being saved. On multiple occasions, St John volunteers have been to thank for saving the life of a member of the public at events across the state. Our First Aid Trainers have also equipped everyday South Aussies with the skills and confidence to go on to save the life of a loved one – what greater gift is there than the gift of life?
SA Police Chief Inspector, Alex Zimmermann, had his life saved by St John volunteers at the Royal Adelaide Show after suffering a heart attack and subsequent cardiac arrest while working at the Show.
Mr Zimmermann never expected to need the help of a St John volunteer. The impact those volunteers have had on his life left him speechless. “How do you look somebody in the eye and thank them enough for saving your life?”, he said.
Chelsea Parker completed her first aid training with St John just two weeks before her father suffered a cardiac arrest in his sleep, which she was alerted to by her mother. In the middle of the night Chelsea sprang into action, performing CPR until an ambulance arrived and could apply a defibrillator, ultimately saving her father’s life.
Chelsea believes her recent first aid course was the reason she had the knowledge and confidence to help her father. “I encourage everyone to be first aid trained, as you really do not know when you will need to use these lifesaving skills”, Chelsea said.
These are just two examples of many where St John volunteers or St John first aid training have been to thank for someone’s second chance at life. Your support of St John will ensure we can continue to save lives for generations to come.
Community Education
In addition to our range of commercial first aid training courses, we have our eye-catching CPR Lab out and about in the community. The impossible-to-miss red van, plastered with an image of a giant defibrillator is our mobile hub for FREE community Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) education sessions.
In conjunction with our regional public access defibrillator partnerships and various public events, we tour around the state to teach members of the public the vital skills of CPR and AED use. Equipped with state-of-the-art Bluetooth manikins, participants receive live feedback on their CPR via the van’s on-board television screen.
You are also likely to see us at a number of career and volunteer expos, sharing the many volunteer opportunities available within St John, broadening the reach of our charitable work.
Community Care
The St John Community Care Program provides support and companionship to the elderly and those at risk of social isolation in the community.
Our team of dedicated Community Care volunteers are matched one-to-one with clients, taking into account shared interests and goals.
The program centres its activities around wellness and reablement to allow clients to retain independence and continue to lead their lives in a way that is meaningful to them.
We offer a range of services, which are tailored to suit the needs and goals of each individual client. St John Community Care has a focus of caring, empowering and connecting for both clients and volunteers.
While you may not see them out in a green uniform at Adelaide Oval, our Community Care volunteers play an equally important role in supporting the wellbeing of South Australians.
State Emergency Response
St John Ambulance SA can be called upon at times of state emergency or in natural disasters to unite with emergency services under the State Emergency Management Plan. St John plays a vital role in the functional service group, ‘Ambulance and First Aid’.
St John can mobilise trained and equipped volunteers to support emergency services with the following assistance:
- Patient care services at incident sites
- Overflow or surge capacity services to SA Ambulance Service
- Non-urgent patient transport
Ophthalmic Hospital
The St John Ophthalmic Program is involved in supporting the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group (SJEGH), and ophthalmic activities in Timor Leste and remote Australia.
The SJEGH is the only charitable provider of eye care in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, treating patients regardless of ethnicity, religion or ability to pay.
St John is proud to support this charitable work on both a local and global scale.
