AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOODMOBILE - HOOKER COUNTY

by Marilyn Downing

Entry T65 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Bloodmobile 1988 Fellowship Hall of United
Methodist Church

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."