Porter County Residents and Groups Honored

RedCrossLogoRed Cross Distributes Awards for Outstanding Support

Recently the Indiana-Ohio Region of American Red Cross Blood Services hosted its annual recognition luncheon at the Fort Wayne Marriott. Many awards were distributed to recognize the outstanding achievements and volunteer service of individuals and businesses in our region. The following were recognized from Porter County.

The Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award recognizes the young members of the community who take responsibility for the success of a blood drive in their area.

  • Kris Hallberg
  • Joanne Baugh

The Outstanding Volunteer Service Award recognizes the countless Red Cross volunteers who serve the community at blood drives, donation centers and local Red Cross chapters.

  • Dorothy Barton
  • Oleta Chester
  • Angie Fox
  • Dave and Jan Sanford

The First Time Sponsor Award recognizes the businesses, churches and community organizations across the Indiana-Ohio Region that held their first American Red Cross blood drive during the last year or came back after an absence of three or more years.

  • Wheeler High School
  • Worthington Steel

The Faithful Friend Award recognizes the sponsors who have been loyal supporters of the American Red Cross. This year’s Faithful Friends agreed to have blood drives during inclement weather or holiday periods, secured volunteers to help provide excellent customer service and could be counted on to meet goals.

  • Duneland Health and Wellness
  • St. Teresa of Avila

The Growing by Leaps and Bounds Award recognizes the blood drive sponsors who increased the units of blood donated at their blood drives by at least 25 percent or who increased the number of blood drives they hosted in the last year.

  • First Christian Church

The Creative Genius Award recognizes sponsors who keep blood drives successful year after year with new ideas to grow the donor base, execute a smooth and successful drive and achieve a team approach to organizing and implementing a blood drive.

  • Culver’s - Valparaiso

The Lifesaver Award recognizes blood drive sponsors who were especially accommodating by replacing drives that had been canceled, hosting last minute drives and demonstrating flexibility when Red Cross equipment or staffing issues required their mobile dates or times to be changed.

  • United Way of Porter County
  • South Haven Fire Department

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the American Red Cross Partnership Awards.

The Partnership Awards recognize the invaluable work of the chapters, hospitals and sponsors that support the Indiana-Ohio Region. Their active role and faithful support in the collection of blood products helped make this year a success.

The chapters nominated for the Chapter Partnership Award offered exceptional support to Blood Services by ensuring that volunteers were present at blood drives to run registration, serve at canteen and arrange transportation.

  • Porter Chapter of the American Red Cross

This Chapter promotes the blood drives in Porter County by providing volunteers for each community blood drive when needed, serving food at special drives and events, speaking to community organizations and keeping up with phone inquiries. They also provide leads for new blood drive sites.

It promotes and services blood drives and provides education about the blood drive program along with disaster relief and fund raising activities.

This Chapter has always been quick to refer any new sponsors to the rep. They have offered space at Chapter events and public service events to promote blood drives.

The Red Cross thanks these honorees and the entire community for its support of blood donation.

How to Donate Blood
To schedule an appointment to donate please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org for more information. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height) and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. Please bring your Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate.

About the American Red Cross
The Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region serves northern and central Indiana and northwestern Ohio, and needs to collect about 500 units of blood a day to meet patient need in more than 60 hospitals. In addition to providing blood to our community, the American Red Cross also provides relief to victims of disaster, trains millions in lifesaving skills, serves as a communication link between U.S. military members and their families, and assists victims of international disasters or conflicts.