CRESTVIEW — With a giggle, Skylar Calhoun, 7, got on the floor and put her feet up on her chair. With her legs elevated, the Brownie Scout demonstrated the position in which a person in shock should be placed.

Skylar and 19 pals in Girl Scout Troop 676 learned outdoor safety and basic first aid techniques from7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) medics Sgts. Fred Gonzalez and Matthew Roper.

Skylar’s dad, Staff Sgt. Kirby Calhoun, was instrumental in arranging his comrades and their commander, Capt. Riley McEvoy’s, visit with the troop.

“They have a lot of training,” Calhoun said while introducing the medics. “They work in hospitals and in the field and do a lot of cool stuff. Even when it’s dangerous they come and take care of us.”

Adult leader Jaime Tambone, who started the troop with just four girls two years ago, said speakers from various backgrounds benefit the 27 girls as they earn different merit badges.

GOOD QUESTIONS

While visiting the troop’s meeting Monday afternoon, Roper and Gonzalez were peppered with questions.

“What do you do if you’re whitewater rafting and someone falls out of the boat and you can’t catch up with them?” Autumn Bell asked.

Rafters should be advised in advance to swim at an angle to escape the water’s current, get to shore and wait for the boat to rescue them, Roper advised.

The girls’ questions varied from snake and shark bites to broken limbs, asthma attacks, drowning, broken bones, sprains, allergic reactions, poison ivy and “really poisonous spiders.”

In all cases, Gonzalez stressed, “keep calm. It doesn’t help if everyone’s freaking out. Make sure the person’s calm and be calm yourself.”

The medics explained that most wildlife bites or stings only if disturbed or surprised. Hikers and campers should watch where they place their hands and feet to avoid an attack, they said.

“Don’t stick your hands in any dark holes,” Roper said, noting there are only two poisonous spiders in the area, the black widow and the brown recluse, whose bite is the most dangerous due to flesh-killing toxins in its venom.

After their presentation, during which they displayed some of the contents of their first-aid backpacks, the medics said speaking to the girls was a pleasant change from the safety briefings they give fellow soldiers.

“It is different,” Roper said. “I had to think of some other words to use, though. It was fun.”

EmailNews Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitteror call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 7SFG(A) medics help Girl Scouts earn first aid merit badges (VIDEO/PHOTOS)

CRESTVIEW — Saturday's Blue Jean Ball is more than a night of gourmet food, desserts and dancing.

The benefit is a chance to help friends, family and neighbors receiving Covenant Hospice’s end-of-life care.

The Rev. Sherrell Compton, administrative pastor at the Crestview New Life International Worship Center, Church of God, knows the value of Covenant’s services.

In May, her sister, Lisa Paterson Douglas, died of renal kidney failure.

“When they said we have to call in hospice, I said, 'Call Covenant,'” Compton said. “A covenant is an important word. They make a promise to do all they can to help the person. They made a covenant to take care of my sister.”

'GREAT EXPERIENCE'

Compton, a member of Covenant Hospice’s community advisory board,  was familiar with its services and commitment to care.

“It was a great experience for me because I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of their organization,” Compton said. “This gave me the opportunity to see what it’s like on the inside.

Covenant Hospice’s focused attention benefited family members almost as much it did her sister, Compton said.

“The 24-7 care really impressed me,” she said. “They wanted to make sure she was comfortable as possible and was pain-free.

“And not only did they make sure she was comfortable, but for family members who visited, they brought snacks and drinks. They made sure the family members were taken care of as well.”

Covenant Hospice’s team of physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, home health aides and trained volunteers makes regular visits to deliver medical care, help with personal care or facilitate legacy-building or reconciliation with family and significant others, senior development and communications manager Jenni Perkins stated.

EXTENDED LIFE

Care doesn’t end when a loved one has died, Perkins said.

“We also provide support for survivors as they move through bereavement to renewal,” she stated in an email.

Compton’s appreciation for her sister’s care and what Covenant Hospice does for the community led her to pay it forward.

Beautiful Ones, her church’s Women of Valor young women’s ministry, partnered with Moulton’s Pharmacy to provide personal care products for hospice patients.

“We adopted Covenant as our community outreach program,” Compton said. “I feel like Lisa’s life was extended because of the care that was given to her.”

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WANT TO GO?

WHAT:“Arabian Nights” Covenant Hospice Blue Jean Ball

WHEN:6 p.m. Saturday

WHERE:Crestview Community Center, 1446 Commerce Drive

COST:$60 each

NOTES:Tickets available at Covenant Hospice, 4100 Ferdon Blvd. S., 682-3628 or www.covenanthospice.org

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FAST FACTS

In 2013, Crestview's Covenant Hospice office:

•Served 200 patients and their families; 35 percent had cancer

•116 Covenant Hospice volunteers provided 2,142 hours of service

•Crestview and Fort Walton Beach Covenant Hospice staff members delivered 36 end-of-life care programs worth 272 credit hours to 429 healthcare professionals

•10 full-time and three part-time staff members serve the Crestview office

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview pastor says hospice's care extended her sister's life

Look Good Feel Better group programs are open to all women with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or other forms of treatment.

•1-3 p.m. Oct. 13 and Dec. 8, North Okaloosa Medical Center, Senior Circle classroom, 127 E. Redstone Ave., Suite A, Crestview.

•1-3 p.m. Nov. 10, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, Classroom B, third floor, 1000 Mar-Walt Drive, Fort Walton Beach.

Advance registration is required to provide cosmetics that match your skin tone. Details: American Cancer Society, 1-800-227-2345.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Look Good, Feel Better programs scheduled through December