Groups unite for blood drive Thursday

    The blizzard that swept across Iowa last week forced the cancellation of more than just schools and board meetings. The bad weather also prevented scheduled blood drives from taking place in many parts of the state. That is why Washington residents are coming together to increase turnout at the blood drive at the United Presbyterian Church on Thursday from 1-6 p.m.

    The Noon Kiwanis club is the organization hosting the blood drive. Yale Jarvis, a Noon Kiwanis member and one of the coordinators of Thursday?s blood drive, said that other clubs in town are being asked to help out.

    ?People get busy around Christmas time and forget about the blood drive,? said Jarvis. ?This year, we?re really looking for new donors to make sure we can get the amount of blood we need.?

    Christine Ciasto, the donor resource consultant at the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center in Davenport, said the blood center would have received 800 units (pints) of blood last week had it not been for the bad weather that prevented many blood drives from taking place. The blood center takes in roughly 120,000 units of blood every year and distributes it to 53 hospitals in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri. The blood center also supplies blood to hospitals on the east and west coasts when there is a regional shortage.   

    The blood center is trying to make up for those losses by encouraging community service groups to work together to donate more blood. Ciasto said there are six service groups in Washington that help organize blood drives, and they are the Noon Kiwanis, the Kiwanis AM?ers, the Lions Club, Rotary, the Knights of Columbus, and the Optimists.

    Jarvis said he has communicated with those groups in recent days to help the regional blood center in its time of need.

    ?We?ve always worked together in a roundabout way,? said Jarvis, referring to the relationship that exists between the civic clubs. ?I?ve contacted the other blood drive coordinators in the other clubs, and we?re trying to get as many people to donate as we can. We need the extra effort to help Mississippi Valley during Christmas time.?

    Ciasto commented that the cancellation of blood drives last week presented a challenge to the blood center.

    ?Some of the blood drives we had scheduled for high schools last week were canceled and cannot be put back on the calendar,? said Ciasto. ?That?s why we?d like a good turnout at the blood drive on Thursday. We?ve contacted Washington High School?s Student Congress and asked them to participate in this blood drive.?

For the full article, see the Dec. 14 edition of the Washington Evening Journal.