Local Red Cross chapter thriving during National Preparedness Month

The American Red Cross Lake Erie Heartland Chapter is taking National Preparedness Month quite seriously, and the public is the recipient of its efforts.The chapter, which covers all of Wayne, Holmes, Ashland and several other northeast Ohio counties, has been busy performing some vital functions during September, which is National Preparedness Month.The first and most important is the ongoing blood drives, which are taking place all over Wayne and Holmes counties. In addition to a number of upcoming drives, the Red Cross was busy at the Wayne County Fair Sept. 13 and 14, providing an opportunity for patrons to give blood.It was a couple of busy but productive days for the organization, which got plenty of support from donors.“It was a really good couple of days for us,” said Katie Myers-Griffith, the chapter’s executive director. “We are continually in need of blood, especially O positive and O negative, because those are such universal blood types. But we certainly are in need, and would love to see even more people stop in to donate blood.”Myers-Griffith said while the fear of needles and even of passing out while giving blood is present for some donors, the value of donating far outweighs those fears. She said that in order to lessen the chance of passing out while giving blood, donors should eat a good breakfast and drink plenty of water leading up to their donation.She also stated that they have some donors who have given more than 20 gallons of blood over the years, and some have been giving for more than three decades.“The people of Wayne and Holmes county are amazing,” Myers-Griffith said. “We have received such great support from this area, and we truly appreciate those who take the time to care enough to give so others can benefit.”As a way of enticing people to donate blood, the chapter has been giving away T-shirts, like at the recent Cleveland Browns blood drive. Donors are then put into a drawing for Browns tickets. There is also an ongoing promotion for Cedar Point, in which donors can register and be put into the pool to win tickets to Cedar Point.In addition, the Red Cross is also in the midst of Operation Save-a-Life. The chapter is providing free smoke alarms to any family who does not have one in their home, and Saturday, Sept. 12, the chapter members and the local fire departments united to install 59 smoke detectors in Amish homes.“People can either call us here and we can have a smoke detector put in, or we sometimes target areas where we know they are needed,” said Myers-Griffith. “It is an invaluable tool for people to have, and again, it is absolutely free.”To get signed up for the Cedar Point blood drive contest, or to request a fire alarm, simply call the organization at 330-264-9383.There are also a number of upcoming blood drive opportunities available to the public in which they can walk in without an appointment.Sept. 23 - Yoder Lumber Company, located at 4515 Township Road 367, Berlin, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.Sept. 24 - St. Peter Catholic Church, located at 379 Crawford St., Millersburg, from 1-7 p.m.Sept. 26 - American Red Cross Wayne County, located at 244 W. South St., Wooster, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.Sept. 28 - American Legion Post 67, located at 10094 Shreve Road, Shreve, from 1:30-6:30 p.m.; Keim Lumber, located at 44654 state Route 557, Charm, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.Sept. 29 - St. Peter Lutheran Church, located at 9451 Ashland Road, New Pittsburg, from 3-7 p.m.; The Pier Lighthouse of Hope, located at 10470 Winesburg Road, Mount Eaton, from 1-7 p.m.; Holmes Lumber Co., located at 6139 state Route 39, Berlin, from 1-6 p.m.; St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, located at 68 West Main St., Smithville, from 2-6 p.m.Sept. 30 - Holmes County Training Center, located at 8001 Township Road 574, Holmesville, from 3-7 p.m.Oct. 1 - Student Life Building at University of Akron Wayne College, located at 1901 Smucker Road, Orrville, from noon to 6 p.m.Oct. 5 - Smithville Brethren Church, located at 193 E. Main St., Smithville, from 1-6 p.m.; Son Light Chapel, 8721 Mount Hope Road, Apple Creek, from 1-7 p.m.; Stony Point Hardware, located at 4455 County Road 229, Fredericksburg.