The TOM Project is an FSU student initiative to that was created to battle sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). This initiative was started in honor of FSU student, Toluwani (Tom) Idowu, who passed away from SCA on April 29th 2020 at age 22.
This historic project solidifies the legacy that Tom will leave behind for his community. It is a testament to the way that he lived his life and the impact he made, and continues to make on the individuals in his community. Tom was a young man of many passions: Achieved regional finalist in Scripps National Spelling bee championship, Congressional award and recognition for various high school related projects in art and student government; Taekwondo black belt, W.B. Dubois award and Florida State University Dean’s List. He was a dedicated member of the Downtown Community Church and Westward Church, CRU, and Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike) organizations.
The loss of this beloved member of the community prompted students to take matters into their own hands by using $200,000 of their own student government funds to start The TOM Project. This initiative included 5 major components:
- Installed 51 new AEDs on campus (a 63% increase in total AEDs on campus. This also made FSU the first Florida University with an AED in all of their dorms.
- Established the only campus-wide governance team to maintain the AEDs in perpetuity
- Provided free CPR and AED training for 1,500 students
- Provided 300 free ECG (electrocardiogram) screenings for FSU students
- Create a reserve account for maintenance of the AEDs for the next 15+ years
This project will help undoubtedly help protect FSU students, faculty, staff, and visitors on the campus. While this project made massive strides in combatting SCA at FSU, we still look to expand this initiative further with more AEDs, more CPR and AED training, and more ECG heart screens. This cannot be done without your support. Please use the donation link below to help support initiative so that we can continue making everyone feel a little safer on campus.
Who We Play For has played a critical role for implementing this project by providing FSU students the counsel and resources to execute an initiative of this magnitude. Today, Who We Play For remains a proud partner of The TOM Project and all donations made through this page are directed to The TOM Project at FSU. Click our donation tab and select charitable donation, and enter The TOM project as the honoree.
A.E.D. locations before the TOM Project
A.E.D. locations after the completion of the TOM Project
