Kaywyn J. Beswick, R.N./Morrison Blood Team Leader, submitted this report. Photos are by thecity.com.
It was an unprecedented day at the second American Red Cross blood drive of 2020 in Morrison, IL. The news was flooded with COVID-19 pandemic information, and there was concern in the air. On Thursday, March 19, we should have been focused on it being the First Day of Spring. Instead, we were focused on staying healthy and preventing the spread of the corona virus.
For my first time since May 2009, it was all-business and seriousness. We had new protocols to follow, such as taking oral temperatures of everyone who entered the drive room, volunteers and visitors included. Not one person was denied entrance because of a fever; everyone had a temperature of 99.1 degrees or under. We were to ask people with temperatures of 99.5 and higher to not donate for 28 days. Volunteer Deb Adolph took Bill Kuehl’s temperature, while Mary and Vern Latwesen and another man waited.
Numerous containers of hand sanitizer were around the room at all the tables, with volunteers and staff instructing donors to use it. Social distancing mandated chairs for waiting donors be placed six feet apart; the donation loungers were even spread out into a huge oval in the middle of the room.
Spread apart left-to-right are Team Leader Kaywyn Beswick; donor Lyle Bush; ARC Charge Nurse Wendy Dugger talking to donor Randy Kuehl; donors Lynn Reimer and Superintendent Scott Vance.
The wonderful Bethesda Lutheran Church people who helped throughout the day were Nancy Pannier, Andrea Dalton, Jan Horberg, Nancy Usterbowski, and Steve and Dee Janssen. Thank you, BLC, for supporting the blood drives by always sponsoring the March drive. We surely appreciate you all. Thank you, Morrison United Methodist Church, for allowing the ARC to hold their drives in your Heritage Hall; we appreciate you accommodating us. Thank you, Rotary members, for coming to help unload the truck. They were Mark Schuler and Father James Brzezinski; we are grateful for your assistance. Tom Rosenbalm eats his meal after donating.
Several of my regular volunteers declined coming to man the stations they usually work. Many of them are over 70, take medication, and/or have medical conditions. They did not want to put themselves at risk for contracting anything. I usually have ten-to-12 volunteers, five or six per shift, but we had only three the first shift, and four the second shift. I had two fill-in-at-the-last-minute volunteers who woke up with sore throats and coughs the day of the drive, and they had to cancel. But we got by fine!
We have a great community, with patient and courteous donors and volunteers coming to the blood drives. I am humbled every time I think about how terrific our municipality really is. Former Superintendent SuEllen Girard said it best in November 2009, ” Morrison is the best little town in the U. S. A.!”
The American Red Cross had a goal of 53 “good units” headed for Peoria, IL, and we exceeded goal. We had 56 good units, which was 105.7% efficiency! We had one first-time donor, Sheila Sonberg, who also was a first-time volunteer for me, checking people in at the door. She did great in both capacities. We hope you become a regular donor and volunteer. There were nine donors who gave double-red-cell/PowerReds: Tom Rosenbalm, Scott Vance, Dwaine Schroeder, Harvey Tegeler, Dwight Smith, Joe Sage, Mel Johnson, Shanna Given, and Ron Shank. These nine fine donors contributed to a third of our blood drive’s units. Thank you, PowerRed donors! Thirty-nine other generous people helped to save three lives apiece: Bill Kuehl, David Brandon, Vern Latwesen, Mary Latwesen, Stephanie Vavra, Randy Kuehl, Lynn Reimer, Lyle Bush, Deb Adolph, Mark Schuler, Dawn Huffstutler, Bill Anderson, Lisa Nice, John Boelkins, Brad Bielema, Chris Hawkins, Carolyn Aiken, Sarah Bull, Beth Wroble, Alice Beveroth, David Temple, Tim West, Nancy Shank, Lori Ploenzke, Joe R. Bielema, Pam Shank, Connie Swanson-DeSpain, Kaywyn Beswick, Kelsie Lowery, and 12 other people (nine women and three men) who did not want their names published.
Together, 48 donors gave units to save 168 lives. That’s a pretty good day’s work! The ARC staff are always happy to come to Morrison’s blood drives, because we have good food, great music, and understanding donors!
Last, but not least, I want to thank six volunteers who came man the stations throughout the room. Deb Adolph was the only originally-scheduled volunteer who attended. Not only did she donate blood, she stayed for a double-shift, taking temperatures on everyone who came into the drive room from noon until after 5:00p.m. Sheila Sonberg, never having volunteered at a blood drive before, did the registration desk alone, and she donated blood for the very first time. Thank you, Lana Nugent, for relieving Sheila, and working 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the registration spot that you haven’t done for quite awhile. My niece, Dana, aka Miss Bennett, 2nd grade teacher at Northside, who also has never volunteered at my blood drives, came to help since she was not able to teach school. She did a terrific job manning 2.5 stations on the first shift (with me helping her post-escort.) Cal Vandermyde, who usually donates double-red-cells, but was not yet eligible until May, since he gave in January, offered that morning to come help and manned two spots for the second shift. Thank you to Steve Janssen, who came with his kitchen helper wife, Dee, and post-escorted for the second shift. Cal and Steve even stayed and helped the ARC staff load their truck after the drive was over. Without hesitation, these six volunteers manned 12 stations and did a fantastic job! I am always grateful to my regular, faithful volunteers, but these six went above and beyond and deserve medals of valor for their gift of time and talent. Thank you, Deb, Sheila, Dana, Lana, Cal, and Steve!
The next ARC blood drive will be Thursday, May 21, 2020, from noon to 6:00 p.m., at St. Mary Catholic Church, 13320 Garden Palin Road. Bring your spouse, a coworker, a neighbor, or a friend.