President Arnie Biondo welcomed everyone to the Centerville Rotary Club and led the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Brian Hayes provided the prayer.
Quote of the day: "Do something wonderful, people may imitate it." Albert Schweitzer
Announcements this week:
- Thanks to the greeters today, Bob Sachs and Ginger Clark.
- Welcome to visitors Jesse Campbell and Missy Davis; guest of Jeff Senney, Zenar Pierce; and former member of our club; Bill Reber; guest of Scott Kujawa, Mike Thonnerieux who is the new Washington Township Administrator.
- Boyd Preston reported we had a great Service Day on Tuesday at Grant Park. It was a follow up to our 50th anniversary project that included spreading mulch, placing sod, and general cleanup. We had 12 volunteers and finished early!
- Our club has been assigned an exchange student from Chile next year. More details to come.
- Adam Manning reminded all our golf outing will be held on May 5 and the volunteer sign up sheet is going out soon.
- Frank Perez announced we have 48 golfers signed up so far. He has list if you want to check for your sign up.
Happy Bucks this quarter are going to East Palestine Rotary Club. Jeff Senney was our Sergeant at Arms with assistance by Jim Stuart.
Happy Bucks were given generously for:
- Ron Hollenbeck for the blood bank.
- Ger Eastabrooks was happy.
- Kelly McDonald for the great mulching project.
- Adam Manning was happy.
- Dan Johnson was happy.
- Ginger Clark announced her daughter Hadley was picked to be in the CHS acapella group Forte as a sophomore next year.
- Ray Merz for a wonderful Easter with family.
- Elda Gotos-Gay was happy.
- Mike Thonnerieux was happy to be here and meet everyone and he looks forward to learning more about our club.
- Lee Hieronymus gave the first farm report of the year. This is the first week in the field with no rain or cold so farmers have started putting in crops. First sweet corn was planted yesterday. His wife’s son is turning 50, so there will be over 50 guests at their house on Saturday.
- Dick Hoback was happy to see Bill Reber who brought warm Florida weather to us.
- Dale Berry was happy to see Mike T. here and then announced he is going to be a great grandfather!
- Jim Harris was happy.
- Bill Reber said it was good to see everyone, and he has many fond memories of Rotary.
- Scott Kujawa for today’s guests.
- Wayne Davis was happy to be here, good weather, welcome to Mike T., and for sitting at the power table today.
- Uriah Anderson was in Louisville last week on vacation and shared educational information on the Recreation levy - 1.5 mill levy replacing a 1 mill; priority is to care for what we have and keep up with the rising cost of doing business. User fees still make up the majority of revenue.
- Harvey Smith was happy to see Bill Reber.
- Carol Kennard was happy for all of our visitors and reminded all to take a Rec Levy sign to show your support.
- Boyd Preston for the service day and said he did do some work that day.
- Wyatt Thorp paid his fine from 2 weeks ago and noted he had a lovely weekend by himself with lots of grilled cheese and The Masters.
- Arnie Biondo was happy to see Mike T., who has previous experience in parks.
- Crissy Allums announced we’ve done 11 service projects so far, with more to come. Thanks for the great support!
- Jeff Senney spent last weekend in Cleveland with his newest grand baby, and is going to DC to see his other new grand baby next weekend.
- Mark Pompilio was happy to be here
Our speaker today was Mark Pomilio with the Community Blood Center.
Mark is the Public Relations and Marketing Manager at the Community Blood Center. He landed there after a 30 year career in broadcast, primarily on ABC 22/Fox 45.
The Community Blood Center registers 300-350 people a day, and typically 10% not able to donate. It was very difficult during COVID as they completely shut down while the need was still there. They have returned to more normal rates, but are not seeing the same yearly increases as before COVID.
There are still fewer blood drives:
- At High School drives, they would typically have 100 kids, with 60-70 being first time donors. When introduced to being a blood donor while in High School, they are more likely to donate later in life.
- Corporate drives not happening since still many people are remote working.
The Community Blood Center has incentives to encourage folks to donate
- Get a free t-shirt
- If donate platelets/plasma, receive special gifts
- Special theme months - this is Minority Health Month
- Drives in memory of a loved one
- Mobile Blood Bus reaches other areas of the Miami Valley
- Monthly at Mercy Health & Lima Hospital (providing all blood for those) Red Cross not able to supply all they need. Also supply for Nationwide in Columbus.
- They Got the Beats at High Schools, with an incentive to win Beats headphones
Mark said they need people of all colors and diversity to donate. If need blood transfusion, healing can be more successful if the blood is more genetically matched.
Mark shared about some of their top donors:
- Larry Smith has made 442 lifetime donations (is blind, was abandoned as baby and grew up in a state orphanage, worked in the dark room at the hospital, and then became blood donor)
- Wendell Clark will hit 800 donations in mid-May. He is their all time leading donor
- Ron Hollenbeck has just passed 150 donations!
In September, the Community Blood Center will reveal a new brand. They will be purchasing a warehouse in Kettering as company is growing. They also do tissue services, bone, tendon, and skin grafts. More than 1/2 blood collected in this country is by independent blood centers like theirs.
Blood has a 42 day shelf life and platelets are only good for 5 days. Can freeze, but it’s not the best.
People have started thinking there might be a greater need since there are more disasters happening in our country. So recently the Blood Emergency Reserve Center was developed.
Am Red Cross collects nationally and distributes nationally.
There are some disqualifying factors, but they are usually just deferments - you can always try again.
- Having a temperature
- High blood pressure
- Just got a tattoo
- Drug addict using needles
- Traveled to malaria area
- Medication you’re on (guidelines can change over time)
Use to be if you got a transfusion, couldn’t give for a year, but during COVID, rules were relaxed - convalescent plasma changed to 2 month wait due to need.
President Biondo announced the next Rotary Board meeting will be at 5:30 pm, Monday, at Woodbourne Library.
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