Sixth member joins family of Red Cross blood donors

Minda Haas of McCook gives blood for the first time on Thursday, joining five other family members who donated at the Red Cross blood drive at the Community Building. Also shown is Cheryl Gloe, nurse practitioner from North Platte, and Minda's mother, Kathy, center, who also is donating blood. (Lorri Sughroue/McCook Daily Gazette)

By LORRI SUGHROUE

McCook Daily Gazette

Minda Haas, 17, was able to donate blood for the first time this year, with five other family members who have traditionally given blood during the Christmas season. Raleigh and Kathy Haas of McCook, along with children Jeff, Ryan and Brad, joined Minda at the Community building Thursday to donate to the American Red Cross.

"It's something we've always done," Raleigh said, who estimated he's donated 75 times and Kathy 50 times.

The Haas' contribution couldn't come at a better time, as this year the American Red Cross has struggled in getting enough donors, Cathy Carmen said, coordinator for the McCook area.

"The donors are there, but the numbers are down for some reason," she said about this year's effort.

Over the two-day blood drive, 198 units of blood were collected, down from the goal but not bad for the holiday season, Carmen said.

Carmen said about 60 volunteers helped with the week's blood drive, from shuttle drivers who transported the donations to North Platte during the day, to escorts who helped donors back to their seat.

Other services volunteers provided were making posters, calling people, greeters and appointment takers and canteen workers.

"It takes a lot of people to do this," she said, who has been coordinating the drives since 1994. "There's no way we could do this without the volunteers,"

The "Business Gallon Challenge" is for companies who commit to donate eight or more pints of blood, she said. Previous participants have been Parker Hannifin, McCook National Bank, First Central Bank, and AmFirst.

"It's a friendly competition," said Carmen.

Other individual and business volunteers this year include: First Central Bank, cups; Schmick's Market, water; The Red Willow Fair Board, the Community Building; Farm Bureau, orange juice; the Carmen family, cellular phone; Sunya Decker, vegetables; BPOE Does, sandwiches; Runza Restaurant, mini runzas; and local extension clubs, the Egan Park Baptist Church and McCook High School Consumer Science class, cookies.