Community Calendar

 “The Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber of Commerce is very pleased to partner with Bill Dodge Auto Group to provide their annual community blood drive,” said Michelle Curtis, Vice President and Regional Marketing Manager for Bar Harbor Bank and Trust and event chairperson. “The Bill Dodge Auto Group is generously donating their showroom at 262 Bath Road in Brunswick to accommodate the Red Cross’s needs and we are truly grateful. This is our third year working together and the planning is complete,” Curtis added. “All we need now is for chamber members, their employees, and members of the community to volunteer to donate blood and help us save lives here in Maine. The blood drive is open to the public and we welcome your participation. The need for blood donations is especially high during the holiday period which makes this drive even more important.”

Donations will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 12 and there are currently openings in most time slots. Please call the American Red Cross to schedule your appointment, 1-800-Red-Cross (1-800-733-2767) or you may schedule online at www.redcross.org (click DONATE BLOOD under the Red Cross logo at the top of the page). Walk-ins are also welcome.

“This is an excellent way for us to participate with the Chamber and help out the community,” said Win Dodge, Vice President of Bill Dodge Auto Group. Our building is convenient and we want donors to feel right at home. The event gives us a chance to share our thanks to those people who “give the gift of life,” Dodge explained. “It also allows our employees to have the opportunity to donate blood and not have to leave the building. I personally challenge other chamber members to top our current number of six donors.” The goal for the drive is 70 donors presenting to donate a total of 50 Pints of blood.

“This Blood Drive is just one example of Chamber members volunteering their time to keep our region thriving,” said Curtis. All chamber members offer their thanks to my committee members: Marian Caouette, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; Tom Moore, American Red Cross Blood Services; April Caron, American Red Cross Midcoast Chapter; and Glenn Michaels, Maine Maritime Museum. We are also grateful to Byrnes Irish Pub who will provide gift cards for donors and Gelato Fiasco and Papa John’s Pizza for providing refreshments for the blood donors. 

Regular Blood Drives like this are important to help keep a health supply of blood for those who need it. Did you realize that:

• One pint of blood can save up to 3 lives.

• Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
• More than 41,000 blood donations are needed every day.
• A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S.
• The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is the different varieties of Type O (especially O-Negative which may be used by all donors regardless of their blood type).
• More than 1.6 million people were diagnosed with cancer last year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

However, statistics alone don’t begin to tell the story of why you should donate blood. Donating blood is a simple thing to do, but it can make a big difference in the lives of others. And some of those lives are residents living in our 16 town region. So, Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber invites you to make a blood donation in honor of Arthur Bourget, a local resident of Richmond, Maine who received lifesaving blood transfusions.

This Blood Drive is just one example of Chamber members volunteering their time to keep our region thriving. Thanks to the committee: Michelle Curtis and Marian Caouette, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Tom Moore, American Red Cross Blood Services, April Caron, American Red Cross-Midcoast Chapter, and Glenn Michaels, Maine Maritime Museum. We also are happy to recognize Byrnes Irish Pub who will provide gift cards for donors and Gelato Fiasco and Papa John’s Pizza for providing refreshments for the blood donors. 

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