FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Honoring Our Partners in Life

Kitsap County Area Donors and Volunteers Honored by Puget Sound Blood Center

SEPTEMBER 18, 2006, SEATTLE WA — There are so many great reasons to live in Western Washington.  One of the reasons many people may not even be aware of is a safe and stable blood supply.  Puget Sound Blood Center’s mission is to keep the area’s blood supply ready for patients at their time of need.  But this is not a task we accomplish on our own.

Fortunately, patients in our area can count on volunteer donors to arrive each day to make their lifesaving gift.  To make these gifts possible, the Blood Center counts on hundreds of other volunteers to help us as blood drive coordinators, to greet and sign in donors at drives and donor centers, to help us with transportation and to help in other roles vital to maintaining our community blood supply.

In recognition of these contributions of blood, time, organizational skills and the other talents of local residents, the Blood Center will host an awards luncheon in their honor in Bremerton on Friday, September 29, 2006.  The event, Partners in Life, celebrates the numerous ways that donors and volunteers support patients in our community, including those receiving care at Bremerton’s Harrison Hospital in Bremerton.  The award ceremony and luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kitsap Conference Center at Bremerton Harborside located at 100 Washington Avenue, Bremerton.

Those receiving awards include:

• Curtis Mays of Kingston is the coordinator of Poulsbo Community Blood Drives at Electronic Data Systems (EDS).  Curtis designs his own drive flyers, posts them throughout the community and coordinates the efforts of an internal committee to email and phone potential donors.  Curtis and his committee have brought in 5,000 donors over the past 10 years.
• Harrison Medical Center, Bremerton, has held drives responsible for about 3,000 donations for the past 15 years.  Under the leadership of their President, Scott Bosch, participation has increased at Harrison Medical Center blood drives from 25 to 40 donors, mainly through his example and encouraging others to donate. He is usually the first one to donate.
• Reuben Gartin of Kingston has been a volunteer at our Silverdale Center since September 1998. He is a dedicated weekly volunteer; coming in to monitor donors and serve refreshments every Wednesday evening.  Reuben is reliable and an asset.
• Leonard Newsom of Bremerton has donated and whole blood 112 times and platelets 68 times.  This 22 gallon donor is a NUWC Keyport employee. 

Fifteen-year old daughter, Rian Anderson of Seabeck will tell her story about the importance of a ready blood supply.  A tumor infiltrated Rian’s spinal cord, along C1-C7 vertebrae in the back of her neck. When her surgical team went in to remove the tumor, they had five pints of blood on hand just in case.  Although Rian didn’t need a transfusion, her mother Melinda Smieja says she is thankful for the hope and comfort brought by knowing there was an adequate blood supply available.  Other speakers include:  Dr. Richard Counts, Blood Center President and CEO; David Leitch, the Blood Center’s Director, Donor and Volunteer Resources, Greg Supancheck, the Blood Center’s regional Donor Resources Representative and Julie Forville, Volunteer Services Coordinator for the area.

If you have any questions regarding the event contact Tom Butterworth at 206-292-6511 or pager 206-680-2610.

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