Newsline (Spring 2007)

Gala Dancers Quickstep To Support Research

If spring symbolizes growth, then Spring for Life represents the potential for growth in research at Puget Sound Blood Center.

The 200 Blood Center supporters who attended the March 17 gala fundraising dinner and dance showed their appreciation for the organization’s lifesaving efforts to the toe-tapping tune of nearly $198,000.

The brief “Raise the Paddle” live auction period alone raised about $55,000, thanks to the speech and presentation that immediately preceded it.

First, Blood Center scientist Paul Warner, PhD, associate director, Immunogenetics, explained the need for a state-of-the-art flow cytometer, a remarkable piece of equipment that examines, counts and sorts microscopic particles suspended in a stream of fluid, allowing analysis of physical and chemical characteristics of single cells.

Then Blood Center trustee and cancer survivor Alan Schulkin, JD, delivered a heartfelt speech that enthralled the audience.

As he talked, he pointed out that, “I would have died if it hadn’t been for Puget Sound Blood Center. The same thing is true of all sorts of cancer patients, heart patients, and trauma patients.

“You can kill the bad cells, fix the heart and sew up the body, but without a never-ending supply of blood and blood components, organ and tissue matching, advanced cell research — all those things of which the Blood Center is the leading or only supplier in our region — the patient can easily die.”

And that patient isn’t always a stranger, he noted. “These victims aren’t ‘other people’. They’re me, you, your children, your parents, your co-workers, your friends. When we work together to keep the Blood Center strong, we do it for ourselves and everyone around us.”

The enthusiasm from the hugely successful “Raise the Paddle” segment carried over to an evening of dancing, beginning with professional dance instruction. The ballroom was soon filled, and feet were quickly moving to mimic the pros.

All the fun — and the support of the Blood Center — was made possible by major sponsors Wells Fargo and Baxter Healthcare; event sponsors ByrneInvent, LLC, Leslie Giblett, Naficy Rejuvenation Center, Roche Diagnostics, Sport Boat Northwest and Wallace Properties, Inc.; event partners Badgley, Phelps & Bell, Toni Richmond Hoffman and Bert Valdman, Kibble & Prentice, Palazzo Intercreative, Alan and Susan Schulkin, Swedish Medical Center and Terumo.

And the great music by Theresa Carnovale & City Life was underwritten by Stoel Rives, LLP. AlphaGraphics was an event patron and Immucor was a “Raise the Paddle” contributor.

The Blood Center makes a difference in lives every day.

In one sparkling evening in March, Spring for Life made a difference in the future of research at the Blood Center.