Dexter residents help with blood drive

Volunteers Carl and Christine Neuber man a table for donors at the Sacred Heart Church parish hall in Dexter.

Dexter Statesman/Donna Farley

The need for blood donors isn’t a surprise to Tammy Clark of Dexter. Her mother needed transfusions during hip replacement surgeries.

But even before that, the Dexter resident made donating a priority.

Clark rolled up her sleeves Monday for the Dexter Rotary Club Blood Drive, donating platelets this time. The drive was held between 12:30-5:30 p.m. Monday at the Sacred Heart Church parish hall.

Tammy Clark of Dexter talks with Red Cross worker Ashley Campo while donating platelets Monday at the Dexter Rotary Club drive.

Dexter Statesman/Donna Farley

“They give the platelets to infants. I thought that was very important,” Clark shared, as Red Cross volunteers double-checked her the equipment collecting her donation and giving Clark fluids. “I’m also a universal donor, with O-negative blood.”

Clark has been donating blood for about 30 years.

Volunteers Carl and Christine Neuber are also long-time participants in local blood drives.

Carl, 85, has been the chairperson for the Rotary’s annual drives for more than a decade. Both he and Christine are also Red Cross volunteers, helping staff drives across the region.

“We need blood so badly,” Carl said. “We usually average 35-45 units of blood at this drive. One pint helps three people so that triples the amount of people we can help.”

The Dexter Rotary holds six blood drives each year, all at the parish hall. The next drives will be Aug. 5, Oct. 7 and Dec. 16.