By Dorothy Evans, Weiser Blood Drive Coordinator
On Wednesday, August 6, Weiser held its quarterly American Red Cross blood drive in the Vendome Events Center. 72 scheduled donors and six walk-ins gave the most precious gift of all, the “gift of life.” It is triple the “gift of life” since each unit of blood donated can save three lives.
To break the numbers down, 59 whole blood units and 19 power units gave us a grand total of 78 units drawn. We exceeded our 75 unit goal by three units!
At the drive, seven amazing donors were honored with lapel pins denoting their gallon achievement:
Suzanna Hubele, a well-respected medical doctor in Weiser, was awarded her five-gallon pin for 40 whole blood pint donations. Dr. Hubele is known for providing free sports physicals for students in the Weiser School District.
Three-gallon pins (24 whole blood pint donations) were awarded to Melisse Hiner and Gary Hill. Melisse, a retired teacher, has been deeply involved in the Cub Scouts and Scouting program in Weiser for many years. Gary, along with his wife Joya, has taken over the huge responsibility of heading the National Old Time Fiddlers’ Contest.
Two-gallon pins (16 whole blood pint donations) were awarded to Rebekah Tracy and Betty Maglecic. Rebekah is the busy mom of two small children. She also volunteers for the Relief Society of the LDS church. Betty moved to Weiser two years ago from Nampa. She had donated blood in the past but started up again in earnest in 2019 when a family member needed a transfusion. Betty donates to the coat drive and back pack programs through Love INC.
One-gallon pins (8 whole blood pint donations) were awarded to Veronica Vasquez and David Jenkins. Veronica is the director of Rose Advocates and spends countless hours helping domestically-abused families. David retired to Weiser from Cambridge five years ago. He is a member of the Weiser Elks and is on the Board of the Weiser Valley Highway District.
One could say that volunteering is in these donors’ blood.
All our donors are amazing. Those giving their permission to print their name are: Jason Bair, Larry Lee, Jeff Kahler, Melisse Hiner, Michael Hartnett, Chris McCord, Liz Sousa, Wil Overgaard, Mary Walker, Joya Hill, Wendy Martell, Pat Sullivan, Mathias Smith, Mary Smith, Jana Hill, Rhonda Hirata, Gil Salazar, Aurora Salazar, Veronica Vasquez, Lorrie Dewyar, Suzanna Hubele, Marla Leedy, Julie Sarazin, Dennis Lund, Monica Odoms, Zane Beams, JoAnn Karel, Betty Maglecic, Sandy Cooper, Diane Higgins, Bob Barber, Dave Jenkins, Sherry Young, Brianna Caskey, Mark Christensen, Coleen Grant, Steve Nakamura, Karen (Shorty) Shannon, David Santo, Kyla Dickerson, Gary Hill, An’a Verdi, Joanne Lynn, Cindy Duncan, Tom Anderson, Anita Huxman, Stephanie Nash, Gina Roper, Alex Conrad, Kellie Reel, Renee Speropulos, Brian Johnson, Tina Frei, Trent Winegar, Penny Lancaster, Troy Krahn, Molly Jensen, Denton Odoms, Barbara Huck, Jan Huxman, Shawna Eddy Kissell and Greta Van Dyke.
The blood drive could not happen without the help of all the volunteers. Blood drive chairman, Alex Chavarria, greeted our donors and kept the atmosphere lively. Coordinator Dorothy Evans worked the registration table during the drive and entered future appointments into the database after the drive. Pat West helped with the registration. John Aegerter walked the donors from the draw stations to the food tables. Mary Walker of Nu Masters sorority and Gay Morinaka-Hayden prepared sandwiches for the donors. Anna Loos, Beverly Attebery and Val Donicht of Xi Nu sorority kept the food tables supplied. The sororities also prepared a delicious ham, potatoes and salad lunch for the volunteers and Red Cross workers. Beverly Attebery made her now-famous chocolate treats. Nu Masters and Xi Nu are members of the Beta Sigma Phi City Council who funds the purchase of the food. We are also grateful to MTE for their generous contribution that pays for supplies and WIFI.
Weiser’s next quarterly blood drive will be held in the Vendome Events Center on Wednesday, December 3, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Please call Dorothy Evans at 208-550-0990 to schedule an appointment or go on the American Red Cross website to reserve your time slot. Your blood may save three lives. There’s no better way to spend an hour of your time.
