News & Events | Puget Sound Blood Center Recognizes Local Donors and Volunteers

State’s largest blood center holds luncheon to honor volunteers and their contributions to the community blood supply

OCTOBER 21, 2003, SEATTLE — Puget Sound Blood Center, which provides blood to 70 hospitals in 14 Washington counties, will recognize the outstanding contributions made by Jefferson County residents during an award luncheon in Port Townsend on Oct. 23.

The event, Partners in Life, celebrates the many ways that donors and volunteers support patients in the community. Without the help of these individuals, it would not be possible to ensure a stable and adequate blood supply – for thousands of patients each year in need of lifesaving blood transfusions. This includes patients at Jefferson General Hospital in Port Townsend.

The award ceremony and luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Manresa Castle, located at Seventh and Sheridan streets in Port Townsend. Featured speakers will include Richard Counts, M.D., president of Puget Sound Blood Center and Lynn Bidlake (MT, ASCP), laboratory manager at Jefferson General Hospital.

The Blood Center’s Director of Donor and Volunteer Resources, Maria Elena Geyer, will present four awards to distinguished groups or individuals who have tirelessly dedicated themselves to the Blood Center and for enabling a stable blood supply. Local award recipients will be the Port Townsend branch of the Elk’s Lodge, Blood Drive Coordinator Debbie Dodd, Blood Center volunteer Renee Whitchurch, and Allan B. Learned, a longtime blood donor.

“Partners in Life affords the Blood Center an opportunity to demonstrate its gratitude to those who make it possible to maintain one of the nation’s most stable blood supplies,” said Geyer. “Every unit of blood collected requires a unique relationship between donors and volunteers and for that, we are proud to recognize the efforts of these outstanding people. On behalf of the Blood Center and the community we serve, we applaud the extraordinary donor groups, blood donors, volunteers and coordinators of Jefferson County.”

The Port Townsend Elk’s Lodge has contributed to the state and local blood supply since January 2001, coordinating and hosting up to six blood drives annually. For its consistent work, the organization will be awarded the outstanding Donor Group Award for registering nearly 600 blood donors throughout the course of its blood drives – a remarkable achievement.

The Donor Group Coordinator Award will go to Debbie Dodd, who has served as a blood drive coordinator for Chimicum High School since 1994. The nearly 2,000 registered donors who have given blood during her tenure evidence Dodd’s significant impact. A strong advocate of community volunteerism, she has educated and encouraged her students to get involved and even create their own blood drives.

The prestigious Volunteer Award will be presented to Renee Whitchurch, a volunteer who has freely given of her time to the Blood Center since 1996. As the coordinator for the Port Townsend Elk’s Lodge community blood drives, she has vigorously overseen the recruitment and registration of donors and volunteers at all their blood drives. Additionally, Whitchurch finds the time to volunteer at other blood drives in the community when not working on her own.

Allan B. Learned, a Port Townsend resident and frequent blood donor, will be honored with the Donor Award for the more than 100 blood donations he has made. His contributions include 106 apheresis and 15 whole blood donations. His donations have helped people who have required blood transfusions – those who have suffered automobile accidents and other trauma, for example.

About The Puget Sound Blood Center
Internationally recognized for groundbreaking research in transfusion and transplantation medicine, the nonprofit Puget Sound Blood Center is the resource for patients in Western Washington who need blood, tissue and specialized laboratory services. Founded in 1944, the Blood Center has a long and unique tradition of blending community volunteerism, medical science and research to improve patients’ lives. The Blood Center, which serves patients in more than 70 hospitals and clinics in 14 counties with blood services, provides tissue and transplantation support to 185 hospitals across the Northwest.