By Dorothy Evans
On August 2, the American Red Cross held their quarterly blood drive in Weiser’s Vendome Events Center. The 82 units collected will have a big impact since one donation can save three lives.
At the draw, the Red Cross presented Weiser with a Certificate of Recognition. It states that 370 units were collected in 2022, a 37 unit gain over 2021. What a wonderful achievement! All our donors deserve a big thank you for reaching this goal.
The donors are always the stars of the blood drive but long before they arrive for that first appointment at 8:00 a.m., the volunteers and workers are abuzz with activity to make it all happen. The day before the drive, the Nu Master Sorority sisters are busy cooking the meal that will be served to the Red Cross workers and volunteers. Nu Masters is a member of the Beta Sigma Phi City Council who funds the purchase of the food. For this drive, Vicki Thomas prepared hamburgers, all the fixings and lemon bars. Mary Walker boiled five dozen eggs and made egg salad for sandwiches for the donors. That same day, Alex Chavarria spent eight hours calling donors to solidify the schedule.
On drive day, sorority sisters Mary Walker and Dolores Larsen arrived before 7:00 a.m. to start building the sandwiches. City worker, Andrew Comacho, began setting up tables and chairs. Hours earlier, the Red Cross workers were loading their vans with drawing tables, cubicles, supplies and computers. They left Boise in time to arrive in Weiser before 7:00 a.m. Then they began unloading and setting it all up. I arrived at 7:30 a.m. to get the registration table prepared and my helper, Julie Derr, arrived at 8:00 a.m. At 10:00 a.m., sorority sisters Judy Warden, Jan Mullins and Vicki Thomas came to help serve the lunch and refresh the sandwich tables. When I got home after the draw, I input over 60 appointments into the schedule for our next drive.
A lot of activity is needed to host a blood drive but any volunteer will tell you, it’s well worth it. Our blood drives run smoothly and smiles are aplenty, all in an effort to make a pleasant experience for the donors. Donor Bob Barber returned the favor by buying Weiser Classic Candy for the volunteers and workers. That brought even more smiles.
All our donors are special and we appreciate them all. Those giving their permission to print their name are: Rick Haynes, Jason Bair, Trisha Thomson, Monica Odoms, Mark Christensen, Chris McCord, Sherry Moore, Sabrina Young, Mary Walker, Justin Beach, Marla Leedy, Mary Smith, Darrell Zinn, Daniel Seiser, Sara Little, Brittney Phillips, Phil Condon, Janet MacLean, Jennifer Miller, Julie Derr, Diane Higgins, Rejeana Goolsby, Sherry Young, Bob Barber, Veronica Vasquez, Tim Erhard, Laurel Handel, Jan Mullins, Mari Bionaz, Bridger Thomas, Gaileen White, Sam Michael, Cindy Duncan, Keri Swank, William Sudderth, Amy Uhl, Kyla Dickerson, Renee Speropulos, Sandy Cooper, Linda McLaughlin, JoAnn Karel, Melisse Hiner, Martin Hiner, Freddie Hernandez, Mary Beth Schwartz, Mandie Salzsieder, Ken Salzsieder, Jenny Perkins, Cristina Aburto, Joanna
Frias, Becky Anderson, Brian Johnson, Julia Chadwick, Molly Jensen, John Apostoli, Gary Hill, Lila Harper, Rhonda Hirata, Anne Oglevie, Maria Almanza, Brandon Van Ness, Johnny Biddinger, Michael Hartnett and Tim Nijhof.
We are also grateful to MTE for their generous contribution that pays for supplies and WIFI.
For the first three draws in 2023, we are behind 2022 by approximately 60 units. This is alarming but we’ve had big numbers before and we can do it again. Please consider donating at Weiser’s next quarterly blood drive to be held in the Vendome Events Center on Wednesday, December 6, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Please call Alex Chavarria at 208-602-7138 or Dorothy Evans at 208-549-5589 to schedule an appointment or go on the American Red Cross website to reserve your time slot. Your blood could save a life. There’s no better way to spend an hour of your time.
