by Emily Armentrout
emily@thepaperofwabash.com
The Wabash County Red Cross is seeking volunteers, not only to donate blood, which is always a great need, but they also are looking for Disaster Action Team members. Tracy Fox, Communications Manager for the American Red Cross, and Heidi Vandermark, Community Outreach specialist at the North Central Indiana Chapter of the American Red Cross, talked with The Paper about the needs here in Wabash County and a few community members who should be commended for their donations.
The Paper contacted the American Red Cross, seeking out a few of our county’s top blood donors. Some of the top donors in Wabash County have given between 19-32 gallons of blood, over the average span of 37 years.
John Miller, born and raised in Wabash County, has been a regular blood donor over the past 30 years. He has donated 19 gallons of blood in that time, but he believes he still has a ways to go in giving.
“It’s been over a 30 year period; it should have been a lot more,” Miller told The Paper. “All you have to do is need a pint of blood at the hospital and then people will realize how great the need is,” added Miller.
Patricia Chekouras, long time Wabash County resident, has donated 157 pints over the past 30 years, which equals out to 157 donations, as the Red Cross takes one pint of blood per donation.
