What a great day for saving lives! We collected 265 units of blood on Tuesday. That is the largest, single-day collection ever recorded for Memorial Blood Centers. You and all of Lakeville should feel proud of this accomplishment.
There were 59 first-time ever donors. Welcome to a group of very special abnormal people. Only 37% of the population is able to donate and less than 10% do. There were 113 people who were first-time donors with Memorial Blood Centers. That number is important, because Memorial's blood stays in Minnesota and most of it goes to the Twin Cities area hospitals.
I have a story I would like to share.
My youngest daughter was in first grade and had fun riding her bike. After school, she would jump on that bike and just ride and ride up and down the sidewalk in front of our house. A regular Forrest Gump on wheels. She would wait for me to come home from work, and as soon as she saw my car, we would race to the driveway. As you would expect, she would always win. After I got out of the car, we would sit on the front steps and talk about each other's day. She would tell me about who she played with at recess, who had a birthday, and what she had for lunch. You know, important stuff. Eventually, she would ask me what I did that day. My response was usually pretty boring to her. But this particular day when she asked, "Daddy, what did you do today?" I responded, "I saved somebody's life." Her eyes got as big as saucers, and she went running into the house screaming, "Mommy, mommy, daddy saved somebody's life today." They both came running back to the front steps. By then I had proudly rolled up my sleeve to display the elastic wrap on my arm. That little six-year old girl is grown up now, and she donated with you at this blood drive.
Thank you to everyone who donated and everyone who tried to donate but couldn't. A special thank you to our sponsors and volunteers who put in the many hours to make this such a success. We should all thank Gordy Erickson, from Lakeville Trophy, who three years ago thought having a city-wide blood drive would be a great idea.
This year threw us all a curveball. We were disappointed that we couldn’t host the 2020 Taste of Lakeville due to gathering restrictions. To make the best of a situation, in true Rotary fashion, we moved our auction online and our wine judging to your home. And….YOU SHOWED UP! We are taken aback by the support our community has continued to give for the Taste of Lakeville! We are so thankful!
We will post an update on auction results in the coming days.
For those who did not win an item, but still wish to donate to Lakeville Rotary Foundation, visit our donation webpage: https://www.lakevillerotary.org/
Thank you, once again, to our sponsors and for all who participated in the 2020 Online Auction. See you on May 20, 2021 for the 2021 Taste of Lakeville. (in-person )
Amy Erkenbrack introduce today's speaker Shelly Peters, Community Educator for 360 Communities.
360 Communities operates two Lewis House Shelters that provide emergency housing and assistance to individuals and families escaping from domestic or sexual violence. At the Lewis House, trained advocates offer emotional support, safety planning, referrals to community resources and help in navigating the court system.
360 Communities opened their first Lewis House in 1979, and since then they have grown to two locations. With Lewis Houses in Eagan and in Hastings, they provide victims of domestic and sexual violence safe housing as they recover and build a successful and safe future.
During Covid-19 Pandemic the Lewis House has been operating on a reduced bed capacity to allow for social distancing but still with the challenges they have been able to offer the critical support to the victims and their children.
Chesley Reynolds Perry, a Spanish-American War veteran and former Chicago Public Library employee, served as Rotary’s first secretary and is known as “the builder of Rotary International.”