Tribune staff reports

Lutheran Community Home in Seymour recently presented donations of $5,000 each to the Seymour Fire Department and Seymour Police Department.

“This commitment to social responsibility is very important to our outreach and service to our community,” executive director Karyn Fleetwood said.

The fire department donation will be used for fire prevention and public safety materials. A portion of the funds will be used for the purchase of residential Knox boxes, which are commonly used on commercial buildings to store keys that allow quick and easy access to buildings.

The department has a trial program that uses Knox boxes for residents in the community who have health concerns or are at risk of falling.

Firefighters will be able to open these boxes to gain access to a key to gain entry into the home.

The police department will split the funds between the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program and Project Lifesaver.

The DARE program seeks to prevent the use of drugs. The program is taught in 19 classrooms at nine different public and parochial schools.

Project Lifesaver is a GPS tracking system for people at risk of wandering, such as those with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, autism or other cognitive conditions.

Lutheran Community Home is a not-for-profit life plan community offering the full continuum of care for seniors, including independent and assisted living, rehabilitation to home, long-term care and memory support services. The home’s 50th anniversary of providing care and services to the residents of Jackson County will be in 2018.