March 31 is National “Stop the Bleed Day,” which is relevant to this area because Killingworth was the first town in Connecticut to have its residents certified for the “Stop the Bleed” program.

That happened last July when 19 persons — including EMTs and KAA board members — completed a one-hour course. Since then, the KAA has offered several classes — with two last month — led by an emergency medical physician at Yale-New Haven Health who also happens to be a KAA board member.

The nationwide campaign in March is to highlight the importance of “Stop the Bleed” training and to help those interested in finding a course in their areas.

Launched by the White House in 2015, the “Stop the Bleed” program is intended to cultivate grassroots efforts to encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped and empowered to help in bleeding emergencies, such as the recent tragedies in Florida and Las Vegas.

The group leading the nationwide effort has asked the American College of Surgeons to solicit participation from all instructors to increase the number of locations offering the Bleeding Control Basics course. Furthermore, the college is encouraging all B-Con instructors to help make the life-saving course available in their regions on or around March 31.

The event information encourages the public to find a course in its area by logging on to bleedingcontrol.org and asks instructors to list their courses on the website so people can find them.

The Killingworth Ambulance Association will hold two “Stop the Bleed” classes in February at its headquarters at 335 Route 81 — with the first on Tuesday, Feb. 13, and the second on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Both begin at 7 p.m. Classes are free and open to all persons over the age of 12. The “Stop the Bleed” campaign, which was launched in 2015 by the White House and Department of Homeland Security, is designed to equip persons with the training to deal with emergency bleeding situations and the tools to save lives. For more information, contact the KAA at (860) 552-9798 or log on to killingworthambulance.org.  

For the third consecutive year, Killingworth Ambulance Association president Dan O’Sullivan completed a five-day, 337-mile bicycle ride through New England to raise money and awareness for the Diocese of Norwich’s Outreach to Haiti program.

O’Sullivan is executive director of Outreach to Haiti, as well as an EMT and member of the Killingworth Lions Club and the parish and finance councils of St. Lawrence Church.  What’s more, he’s one of only two persons to complete over 1,000 miles in the three years of the Outreach to Haiti’s cycling tour.

Farmington’s Tom Campbell, also a member of the Outreach to Haiti board, is the other.

The ride, which begins in Freeport, Me., crosses five of the six New England states (only Vermont is excluded) and approximates the distance from one end of Haiti to the other, is designed to raise money for the installation of solar power in the new Norwich Outreach Center in Haiti, with construction expected to begin in the fall.

The center has been in the planning stage for several years, with a capital campaign that exceeded its target in the fall of 2016. However, previously undiscovered earthquake damage was detected earlier this year, increasing the cost of the building and sending O’Sullivan and others back on the roads for a third tour of New England.

“It’s something that has been successful in terms of increasing awareness and attracting donors,” said O’Sullivan, “both for this ride and, then, for people becoming familiar with our efforts there. It’s a way of expanding the number of people connected to us. Every year I’ve met some more people through it who are extremely great to be with.”

Among the stops was the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Norwich, Ct., where O’Sullivan and a group of cyclists were met by children from St. Patrick’s Cathedral School and Bishop Michael Cote. Like Cote, O’Sullivan has made several trips to Haiti – seven, to be exact – with his latest in May, and he doesn’t anticipate ending those journeys or his annual 337-mile excursion through New England in the near future.

“I look forward to it,” he said of the cycling, “and I look forward to the end of it as well. In setting a goal, then persevering and completing it, there is a real sense of accomplishment.

“I remember when we finished the first year, Tom said, ‘We’re not going to do that again, are we?’ Then, last year, as we finished, he said, ‘We’re going to do that again next year … aren’t we?”

They did.

Like others in Killingworth, Mark Clifton was part of the parade that celebrated the town’s 350^th anniversary. He drove the tractor that pulled the procession’s last float, a wagon that carried members of the Killingworth Ambulance Association.

Appropriately, Clifton sat in front of them, as he has for many of the 35 years he spent on the KAA’s board of directors. And, as the parade wound its way up Route 81, passing hundreds of spectators, he found himself marveling at the crowd – not just because of its size but because of its behavior.

People applauded, with dozens nodding as they called out, “Thank you” to the KAA.

“That was the first time I heard that,” Clifton said. “It was moving to have that many people appreciate what we do.”

It would not be the last time he would hear it.

Later that afternoon, the message was repeated – only now it was to Clifton himself. He was named the Killingworth Lions Club 2016-17 Citizen of the Year, an award that dates back to 1971 and that is given annually to residents who excel in leadership roles while performing community service.

First Selectwoman Cathy Iino made the presentation at the town’s Parmelee Farm – a 132-acre site Clifton and other volunteers helped clear and create years ago. Citing Clifton “for all that has done for our town and its people,” Iino called Clifton on stage to present him a framed proclamation that caught at least one audience member by surprise.

“I was totally clueless I was going to get an award,” Clifton said.

He shouldn’t have been. Mark Clifton has spent decades in public service in Killingworth. As an EMT, he is called on emergency ambulance runs in the middle of the night (“We call it the Three in the Morning Club”). He served for eight years on the town’s Municipal Land Use Committee. He sat for over three decades on the KAA board, both as president and chief of service. And, along with wife Patty, he spent the past 40 years running Deer Lake, a Boy Scout wilderness training center that offers day and residential camps, wilderness school and team-training programs.

But there’s more than that. Mark Clifton has been an invaluable resource to persons like Iino, who relied on his experience, knowledge and willingness to help over the years … and who finally had a chance to express their gratitude.

“Mark has not only done the things that we specifically honored him for,” Iino said, “but, as an advisor to me and others in the Town Hall, he’s been invaluable because he understands the system. He’s just great. He’s so totally about not aggrandizing himself. He’s one of the people who makes the community work. We wouldn’t be the great community that we are without it. I love him.”

She is not alone. In naming him Killingworth’s 2016-17 Citizen of the Year, Iino cited Clifton for “passing on the values of honesty, hard work, high standards and community service to his children, Forrest and Hillary, and countless other young people who have looked at him as a father figure.” But Clifton insisted he wouldn’t have been able to serve them without additional help – and he made sure to mention it when he heard Iino’s praise.

“You can never overstate the importance of one’s spouse allowing folks to serve in a volunteer ambulance or fire capacity,” he said. “Often, you’re running out at the wrong time, and you’re making stress for your family. The spouses of volunteers are so important in allowing us to serve in that capacity, and I’m very grateful.”

After receiving the award, Clifton was stopped by a passerby.

“So how meaningful is this to you?” he wanted to know.

Clifton thought a moment before answering.

“It’s huge,” he said. “It’s nice to be recognized. Both of my parents were civic oriented and involved in a lot of things, and I’m sure they’re proud of me now.”