By Bryan Boggiano
City staff and volunteers held a ceremony and installed 18 Coast Guard-certified water safety rescue rings along waterways at Cypress Park on Saturday.
The rings are part of an Aden Perry Good Samaritan and Scholarship Fund donation. Sarah Perry established the fund in 2022 after her son drowned trying to rescue 18-year-old Venkata Sai Krishnamurthy after accidentally veering his car into a canal in Sunrise.
Besides Perry, the ceremony featured family and friends, remarks from Mayor Scott Brook, Parks, and Recreation Director Robert Hunter, and a demonstration on how to use the rings from Fire Chief Michael McNally.
Perry said her goal is to install rescue rings in every city and waterway possible.
“Since losing my son, it has become my mission and passion for making a difference in his name to keep his legacy alive,” she said.
Perry said she first contacted City Manager Frank Babinec, who was “100 percent” behind her mission. That led to a partnership with the city, which the commission announced at their Feb. 15 meeting.
According to Brook, rescue rings are an easy way to save somebody who is drowning and possibly the person trying to rescue them if they find themselves in danger. In Aden’s case, Brook said he hit a rock, which led to a significant injury and his subsequent drowning.
He stated preventing further drownings is important to the city, which values its youth and the safety of residents.
“[It is important to] pay tribute to Aden, this young, brave soul who was so selfless in his idea to save a life, and it cost him his life,” he said. “It made me glad that our city manager presented this to our commission, and I’m so glad [the commission] readily and unanimously said, ‘yes, let’s make this happen.'”
Similarly, McNally stated the safety rings are a lifeline to those needing them before emergency services arrive at the scene.
“This is definitely a safety measure that is going to help the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department in our efforts,” he said.
Aden Perry {GoFundMe}
Brook said that even though there are no plans yet to install rescue rings along non-park waterways, he anticipates the matter will come before the city commission “soon.”
For Perry, the city’s support of the rescue rings makes her feel hopeful and amazed. She also hopes that the rescue rings expand to other cities.
“One lake at a time, one ring at a time, we’re going to save lives,” she said. “There’s waterways everywhere in Florida, so the more cities we can get these rings to, the more chance we have at saving lives.”
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