AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOODMOBILE – HOOKER COUNTY

In 1980 Marilyn Downing accepted the Chairmanship of Blood Services in Hooker County for the American Red Cross. Soon after, the plans were laid for the first Bloodmobile which was held on May 5, 1981. Ron Fleecs, Lab Technician at the Pioneer Memorial Hospital was a very capable Co-Chairperson for the first several Bloodmob-iles until he and his family moved from Mullen. Marilyn Downing has continued to head the Bloodmobiles since that time.

In order to have a successful Bloodmobile, a great number of volunteers are needed. In Hooker County there are approximately thirty-five individuals who volunteer their time to the Bloodmobile. The local busi-nesses who have donated coffee cups and napkins are the Mullen Co-op, Bank of Mullen, and Vinton Feed Store. Macke's Store has provided the orange juice; the Hospital Auxiliary donates coffee, tea, paper plates and juice cups; American Legion Auxiliary the sandwiches, and the Mullen Women's Service Club the cookies.

Each year at the Regional Blood Confer-ences, Hooker County has been honored with awards for “Outstanding service in meeting the blood needs of regional hospitals.''

At the 39th Annual Blood Services Confer-ence in September 1987, Hooker County received awards for (1) achieving 100 percent of their annual goal of blood collections and (2) for exceeding their annual collection goal plus meeting the majority of their specific blood type goals. It was also announced that Hooker County led all chapters in the 94 county Midwest Region in the collection by percentage of population, collecting blood from 14.7 percent of its population.

Hooker County has hosted ten Bloodmob-iles, currently having two annually, one in May and one in November, since 1986, the exception being in 1984 when we hosted a “Christmas'' Bloodmobile on December 26.

Iva McCully has served as Recruitment Chairperson since 1981 and with her Staff of volunteer telephonists, persons from Cherry, Thomas, Grant and Hooker Counties re-spond to be blood donors.

Those persons who donate blood are truly giving one of the greatest of gifts – that of the “Gift of Life.''