TERRE HAUTE —
Every two seconds, someone needs blood.
Every year, Girl Scouts of Central Indiana sell cookies.
On Friday, Indiana Blood Center teamed up with the Girl Scout council for “Thin Mints for a Cause” blood drives around the state to encourage people to donate a pint of live-saving blood, and to reward donors with a free box of Thin Mints.
At the Terre Haute location of the Indiana Blood Center in the 2000 block of South Third Street, several green boxes of Thin Mints were handed out. The center had 17 whole blood donations and 5 platelet donations, which is right on target for a Friday, blood center workers said.
The process of donating blood has been distilled to less than an hour, making it a relatively quick stop in a busy day for a certain Tribune-Star journalist who has also volunteered as a Girl Scout troop leader for more than 10 years.
There are four easy steps to donating blood — a medical history, a mini-physical, donation and refreshments. The medical history revealed no concern or anemia, said supervisor Nancy Liberty, and the mini-physical showed a good blood pressure and pulse, as well as an average temperature. Once the needle was inserted and the tap was turned on, by blood collection technician Susan Chobanov, the one-pint bag was filled in 6 minutes.
Staying focused on refreshments and a free box of Thin Mints likely helped speed up the process.
Friday was also the first ever National Girl Scout Cookie Day, and the blood drive was promoted to Scouts and their families as well as to communities.
Deborah Hearn Smith, chief executive officer of GSCI, stated in a news release that Friday’s partnership was natural because many Girl Scouts and their families have been recipients of blood donations, from lifesaving surgeries to treating cancer.
“Teaming up with Indiana Blood Center is a natural partnership to help motivate donations as community service is a cornerstone of Girl Scouts,” Smith said.
Shannon Jordan, director of marketing for Indiana Blood Center, said that cookies are a natural connection between the blood center and Girl Scouts.
“We are known for the cookies we offer after blood donation, and the Girl Scouts for their annual cookie sales,” Jordan said. “Coming together helps mark the first National Girl Scout Cookie Day while offering our donors a much-deserved thanks for saving a life through blood donation.”
Many of the people at the Terre Haute blood center on Friday are people who have made a regular commitment to donate blood as often as possible.
John Shields of Brazil said he usually makes a blood donation at either a mobile blood center or the South Third Street location. And he appreciated Friday’s Thin Mint bonus.
“I started donating blood after high school,” he said. “And I’ve had an instance in the past where I needed two units of blood as well. Definitely, since that time, I have made it a point to donate. I know where I’d be without it.”
As a nursing student at Ivy Tech Community College, Shields also sees people who benefit from blood donations when he works a shift at an area hospital.
One pint of blood can help up to three people, according to the blood center’s website at www.indiana
blood.org. Whole blood can be donated every 56 days, and Platelets can be donated every 7 days. Double red cells can be donated every 112 days. And, plasma can be donated every 28 days.
For more information about the Indiana Blood Center, call 812-238-2495.
Reporter Lisa Trigg can be reached at 812-231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com. Follow her on Twitter @TribStarLisa.
News
Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, Indiana Blood Center, team up for blood drives
- News
-
-
For Piper: Annual ‘Rush the Punter’ event dedicated to Dixie Bee student who died Wednesday after a short illness
Steve Weatherford’s “Rush the Punter” fundraiser at Fairbanks Park on Saturday was dedicated to a little girl who lost her life unexpectedly to pneumonia.
-
Vigo schools prepare to tighten belts
State funding for the Vigo County School Corp. will remain “pretty flat” for the next two years, said Donna Wilson, chief financial officer.
-
Veterans take to the trees
Cristal Bednar took photos of her husband, Justin, as he laboriously climbed his way up a “Dangle-Duo” to get to a zipline at Indiana State University’s Sycamore Outdoor Center.
-
Property owner seeks halt to Hulman Lake dam project
A Terre Haute property owner is seeking an injunction that would at least temporarily halt the city’s work on the Hulman Lake dam project.
-
Tornado veterans balance preparedness, practicality
Few things in nature are less predictable than a tornado. They can form quickly. They strike weirdly, leveling one building while leaving its neighbor untouched. They can fling a car a half-mile and turn a piece of lumber into a wall-piercing missile.
-
ISU unveils interactive Bayh Family Legacy Wall at school
A who’s who of Indiana Democrats paid tribute to Evan Bayh and several generations of the Bayh family Friday during a dedication of a new interactive display at Indiana State University.
-
Can you smell me now?
A contraband cell phone has been discovered by the Vigo County Jail’s youngest and most unique officer.
-
GIVING BACK: Steve Weatherford buys shoes for kids day before charity run
Terre Haute’s Steve Weatherford, punter for the 2012 Super Bowl champion New York Giants, showed once again his generosity Friday by donating new athletic shoes to more than two dozen Vigo County kids.
-
N.Y. Giants honor Weatherford as ‘Man of the Year’
Dan Tanoos, superintendent of Vigo County schools, remembers the first time he saw Steve Weatherford as a freshman at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
-
Sunday recital at The Woods
A recital featuring songs from well-known composers is at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
-
Police investigating rash of car window shootings
Terre Haute Police are investigating a rash of shootings that have shattered car windows throughout the city.
-
City hospitals get passing grades for patient safety
Two Terre Haute hospitals have been ranked for patient safety by an independent organization that assesses safety, quality and affordability of healthcare for Americans.
-
Three from Operation Turn and Burn sentenced in federal court
Three co-conspirators in a Wabash Valley methamphetamine trafficking ring were sentenced this week to several years in federal prison.
-
Skateboarders, BMX bike riders working to improve area of city park they use
The sound of small wheels rolling across smooth concrete fills the air, accented by the clacking noise of a wooden skateboard coming to an instant stop on a metal edge before rolling on again.
-
Indiana State to host 2014 MVC baseball tourney
Build it… and they will come. The Missouri Valley Conference and Indiana State University made that famous line from the movie “Fields Of Dreams” reality Thursday.
-
Overlay recommended for 812 area code
The state agency that represents Hoosier utility customers is calling for a ten-digit solution to southern Indiana’s vanishing supply of 812 area code telephone numbers.
-
Elementary school saddened by student’s death
A 9-year-old Dixie Bee Elementary student died unexpectedly Wednesday evening as the result of pneumonia, said Vigo County Coroner Susan Amos on Thursday.
-
Vermillion CSX crossings undergoing maintenance
CSX maintenance crews are working on railroad crossings between Dana and Chrisman, Ill. this week and next, a CSX official said Thursday.
-
Beware of scams everywhere
Ever get a phone call in the middle of the night from a person claiming to be your grandchild, who unfortunately has been jailed in Canada and needs bail money?
-
INDOT to start work on Indiana 163 in Vermillion County
Maintenance crews will begin a pavement preservation project Monday on Indiana 163, between Indiana 63 and the Illinois state line west of Clinton.
-
Union Hospital community garden spots now available
Community gardening spots are now available at the Union Hospital Community Garden for Wabash Valley residents interested in planting and maintaining a garden but may not have the space. The garden is located west of the intersection of North Sixth Street and Seventh Avenue in Terre Haute at 1430 N. Sixth St.
-
Correctional officer remembered at memorial
Greene County native and Wabash Valley Correctional Facility Officer Timothy Betts was honored during a memorial ceremony at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.
-
Money donated for Dresser sculpture
100+ Women Who Care of Vigo County on Thursday awarded a $20,200 grant to Art Spaces that will help make the Paul Dresser sculpture, “A Song for Indiana,” a reality.
-
Powerball jackpot quickly jumps to $550 million
The Powerball jackpot jumped to $550 million on Thursday — the third largest lottery in history — as dreamers in all but the seven states where the game isn’t played snatched up tickets for the minuscule chance at a life on easy street.
-
About 200 channel catfish find new home in Dobbs Park pond
About 200 channel catfish transferred into a new home at the Dobbs Park pond on Wednesday, but it’s unclear how long they’ll remain there. That depends upon the people fishing.
-
GED grads turn the tassels
Michelle McClendon’s first child was born when she was 15.
She tried to stay in school, but it was just too much, so she dropped out to take care of her daughter. -
MARK BENNETT: Local summer music series idea remains a good one
One-of-a-kind ideas happen rarely.
As the biblical adage goes, there is nothing new under the sun. We humans succeed occasionally, inventing electricity, automobiles, telephones and the Internet. Invariably, though, someone else insists, “Hey, my grandpa thought of that years before Edison.” -
State to spend $2M to clean up voter rolls
Indiana’s bloated voter registration rolls, which officials say make elections more susceptible to fraud, will soon come under more scrutiny by the state.
-
Community tips lead to arrest on methamphetamine charges
Acting on community tips and other information, Indiana State Police troopers from the Putnamville District Meth Lab Enforcement Team were led to a rural Vigo County residence where they arrested the homeowner on meth-related charges and a female companion on a Clay County warrant for driving while suspended.
-
Historic National Road Yard Sale begins May 29
Bargains galore are expected along a 824-mile stretch of U.S. 40 as the annual The Historic National Road Yard Sale begins May 29 and continues through June 2
- More News Headlines
-
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
Raw: Texas Gov. Flies Over Tornado Damage
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
Raw: Gun Scare Mars Cannes Film Festival
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Raw: Germany Protestors Picket Barbie House
China, Others Want What's Under the Arctic Ice
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: 6 Die in Russian Ship Fire
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Raw: Suicide Bomber Kills 2 Americans, 13 Others
Officials Arrest Man in Idaho in Terrorism Case
Twiggy, the Water Skiing Squirrel
Sailor Surprises His Mom At Her CU Denver Graduation Ceremony
Official: ‘Amazing’ No One Was Killed In CT Train Crash
Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder
Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner
Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion
Beyonce Is Pregnant!
SF baseball player overpaid $500,000 RETURNS money -- and team says KEEP IT
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
Dad returns from Afghanistan, surprises family during Rays' first pitch
See Jennifer Lopez's New $10m Hamptons Mansion
Woman tricked into taking abortion pill
Emma Watson Goes Pantless
IRS scandal: Republicans seek to tie Obama to agency's woes
Play of the Day: Flipping to Safety
Pregnant Kim Kardashian Squeezes Her Swollen Feet Into Stilettos
Top Videos of the Week: Angry Taco Bell Guy, Glacier Moves on House, Dog Hates Baths
Cindy Crawford Stuns At Cannes
