12/14/12 The Indiana-Ohio Region of American Red Cross Blood Services hosted its annual recognition dinner at the Fort Wayne Marriott. This year’s theme of “Saving Lives by the Numbers” highlighted the many ways in which lives can be saved and how many those lives can affect. Guests at the dinner also learned Hands Only CPR so more lives might be saved in the future.

Awards were presented to recognize the outstanding achievements and volunteer service of individuals and businesses in our region. The following were recognized from Marshall County.

The Outstanding Blood Donor Award recognizes individuals in each of the counties served by the Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region who had a combination of high donation frequency in Fiscal Year 2011 and high lifetime donations.

  • James Russell

The Faithful Friends Award recognizes those sponsors who are always willing to open their doors when we need to use their facilities, even on short notice.  They are dependable and dedicated to hosting blood drives especially when there is a critical need.

  • Knights of Columbus – Plymouth

The Growing by Leaps and Bounds Award recognizes those blood drive sponsors who have either increased the pints of blood donated at their blood drives by 25 percent or more, or they have increased their drive frequency in the last year.

  • Argos United Methodist Church

The Outstanding Volunteer Service Award recognizes the countless Red Cross volunteers who serve the community at blood drives, donation centers and local Red Cross chapters.

  • Vi Ward – Hometown: Argos

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the American Red Cross Partnership Awards.

The Partnership Awards recognize the invaluable work of the chapters, hospitals and sponsors that support the Indiana-Ohio Region. Their active role and faithful support in the collection of blood products helped make this year a success.

The American Red Cross Chapters in the Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region are invaluable to the successful recruitment and collection of blood products.  Some, however, stand out for offering exceptional support.  Following is a profile of a Chapter nominated for the Partnership Award by the Red Cross staff who work with them:

  • American Red Cross of Marshall County

The Marshall County Chapter, with Carol Arnett at the helm, is integral to the success of the community blood program in Marshall County.  It’s a small office with only 2 staff but that hasn’t hampered their effectiveness.  They embody “One Red Cross” by promoting the area blood drives, providing volunteers for those drives, and sending leads to their Donor Recruitment Representative.  They also keep their Rep informed of community events and include her as possible.  Carol, with an army of volunteers, coordinates the largest regularly scheduled blood drive in the area and recognizes donors by name.  She has many groups involved, including the Boy Scouts and Tri Kappa, to ensure the best donor experience.  She even lines up local churches to provide a hot meal for our staff before the drive starts.  Carol is well known in the community and while doing Chapter business, she is always promoting blood drives and recruiting donors.

You won’t find Carol without her blood drive notebook which lists all of the upcoming drives with hours and locations so she can refer a donor everywhere she goes.  Collections in Marshall County increased by 97 units in FY 2012.  Carol was personally involved in 21 of those drives which resulted in more than 1,000 units collected.

More than 1,600 active blood drive sponsors in the Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region open their facilities and allow blood collection at their sites, take an active role in the recruitment and retention of donors, and continue to faithfully support blood donation.  These sponsors were nominated by the donor recruitment representatives for the Partnership Award because they are exceptional partners of the American Red Cross.

  • Ancilla College

Ancilla College has been a valued partner of the Red Cross for many years and we are lucky to work with Dianna Cooper as the drive coordinator.  Dianna is the Cheerleading Coach and knows most of the students.  She personally recruits students and faculty and has many repeat donors.

On the day of the drive, Dianna is there the entire time to oversee the operation.  She recruits to fill empty appointment slots and reminds students to eat and drink before donating.  She watches over the students to help them have a good donation experience, setting them on the path to becoming life-long donors.  Ancilla College has continued to add blood drives, currently holding four per year.  Their plan is to reach more students this year by holding 2 drives per semester on different days.

The Red Cross thanks these honorees and the entire community for its support of blood donation.

About the American Red Cross:

The Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region serves northern and central Indiana and northwestern Ohio, and needs to collect about 500 units of blood a day to meet patient need in 60 hospitals.  The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.