Federal Way and Vancouver Celebrations Honor Local Partners in Life

Partners in Life celebrations served as bookends to the Northwest’s warmer months as Puget Sound Blood Center honored some of its most ardent supporters in four counties at the end of May and at the beginning of October.

On May 31, Partners in Life celebrated the numerous ways that donors and volunteers come to the aid of patients in their communities. The awards ceremony and luncheon was held at Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club in Federal Way.

South King and Pierce County donors and volunteers who received awards were: Knights of Columbus, South King County—The Knights of Columbus, represented by St. Vincent DePaul, St. Theresa’s, Sacred Heart and Holy Spirit Catholic Churches, held 106 blood drives since 1994 registering over 5,250 donors.

Julie French of Green River Community College, Auburn—The health service coordinator at Green River CC, French has been responsible for more than 70 drives and 3,800 donor registrations.

In Federal Way (top row, from left), Dr. Richard Counts, Nita Earsley and David Leitch; Auburn High School Principal Paul Harvey, student coordinator Michael Enera and Auburn High School teacher Katie Henry; past award winner and cancer survivor Gena Krupka; (bottom row, from left) Knights of Columbus members James Shefield, David Caton, Bob Dahl and George Tehaar; the Blood Center’s Jamie Mitchell and Nancy Campbell; Kevin Roche (2nd from right) with Green River CC's Jorge Ramirez, Julie French and Lindsey Mansell

Nancy Campbell of Auburn—A volunteer since July 2005, Campbell registers and monitors blood donors at least four times a month and is known as the “Cookie Lady” in the canteen. She’s registered donors the area’s largest blood drives – 103 at Kentwood High School’s drive – and has been a key to the success of many others.

Nita Earsley of Tacoma—A symbol of dedication, she drives to the Tukwila Donor Center from her home in Tacoma to donate. She’s made 55 whole blood and 181 platelet donations.

Auburn High School—Through its High School Partnership Campaign, the Blood Center works closely with teens to promote blood donation. This year 175 Western Washington high schools held 290 blood drives and registered 18,600 donors. Auburn High had the most in the 2006-2007 school year: 522 donors, 222 first-timers. The school has been recognized before, in 2005-2006, when Auburn students registered 627 donors. Again, 222 of them were first-time donors.

In Vancouver, Washington (top row, from left), Rob Brown, Hulda Brown and Hulda and Dr. Mark Warren; Amy Broadhead and student Talia Alongi; Kelli Secore and son; (bottom row, from left) K.C. Babcock; Don and Laura Meyer; Nancy Giersch, Joan Wedryk and Cat Trapp

Speakers at the Partners in Life event included Gena Krupka of Lacey, who is the blood drive coordinator for State Farm Operations Center in Dupont. She accepted the Community Service Award for Donor Groups on behalf of State Farm at the Blood Center’s last South King County/Pierce County Partners in Life, and since then, has experienced a return on her investment in others; she‘s received several transfusions. The May 31 Partners marked the one-year anniversary of her stomach cancer surgery, and she shared her recovery story.

Other speakers included: Richard B. Counts, M.D., Puget Sound Blood Center president and CEO; David Leitch, Blood Center director, donor and volunteer resources; Kevin Roche, Blood Center donor resources representative; Jamie Mitchell, Blood Center volunteer services coordinator.

Southwest Washington Blood Program
Since 1995, Puget Sound Blood Center’s Southwest Washington Blood Program has been helping to save lives in Clark and Cowlitz counties. And every day for the last dozen years, civic-minded donors and volunteers in the area have come to the aid of their fellow citizens by donating two valuable and very personal gifts – their time and their blood.

The Southwest Blood Program honored those dedicated volunteers and donors on October 5 at its annual awards luncheon, Partners in Life, at the Hilton Vancouver Washington.

Those receiving volunteer achievement awards were: Donald Meyer— With 131 lifetime donations, Meyer has in the last year become a regular donor in Vancouver, Washington, where he reached the 16 gallon donation mark – a first for a Southwest Washington Blood Program donor.

Joan Wedryk—A regular donor, Wedryk earlier this year joined the Blood Program volunteer force in registration, rebooking, and donor monitoring at the Vancouver Donor Center. She also works on high school drives and other mobile drives. In addition, an article she wrote gave rise to the idea of a neighborhood association newsletter as a way to spread the Blood Program story.

Receiving Community Service Awards were: Everest College— Relatively new to the Blood Program, the college immediately began holding successful blood drives. Its leadership spread the message of community volunteerism and the college has registered 220 donors in the past year. Dean of Students Mary Dupree and coordinator Kelli Secore’s efforts exemplify Everest’s commitment to the health of our community.

K. C. Babcock—She has coordinated blood drives at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Castle Rock for the past five years. In that time, 416 people have registered to donate blood at the church’s drives, and up to 1,100 patients, like those at St. John Medical Center in Longview, have benefited. She also helped to get Castle Rock High to host an Oct. 24 drive.

High School Partnership Program Award: The High School Partnership Campaign recognized Skyview High School in Vancouver for the highest percentage of first-time blood donors – 99.2 percent of the volunteer blood donors, or 119 of the 120 donors.

The Partners event also included a heartfelt story of tragedy, recovery and gratitude from cancer survivor Dr. Mark Warren, a dentist from Battleground. In order to repay the community for the more than 90 units of blood and platelets received during his illness, Dr. Warren has become an involved Blood Program volunteer, as has his wife, Hulda.

Other speakers included: Puget Sound Blood Center President and CEO Richard. B. Counts, M.D.; David Leitch, the Blood Center’s Donor and Volunteer Resources director; Jeff Carrick, Southwest Blood Program’s donor resources representative in Vancouver; and Nancy Giersch, Blood Program volunteer services coordinator, also in Vancouver.