Title
Recognizing the individual skill and initiative of five downtown residents to fight Minnesota's pandemic-triggered blood shortage by creating twenty-five monthly Skyway Blood Drives in support of the American Red Cross.
Body
WHEREAS downtown Saint Paul is a rapidly growing neighborhood of 10,000 residents; and
WHEREAS many of these downtown residents have the professional skills, available time, and personal commitment to help build the downtown neighborhood; and
WHEREAS the Red Cross lost hundreds of blood drives across the Twin Cities during the pandemic, when businesses, schools, and churches closed; and
WHEREAS in downtown Saint Paul, in particular, several regular corporate blood drives also closed; and
WHEREAS the Red Cross announced the worst blood shortage in a decade this past winter, posing a risk to patient care; and
WHEREAS when one resident, Bill Hanley, learned of the blood shortage, he reached out to Red Cross with a way to help, by engaging in a monthly blood drive in downtown Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS in March 2020, when the urgency of the need became clear, Bill reached out to Kerry Cipra, former Red Cross manager in Northfield, and Lee Ann LaBore, long-time chair of the volunteer-heavy Friends of Mears Park; and
WHEREAS Kerry worked hard to guide the effort and how it might best interface with downtown residents, and Lee Ann LaBore, helped lead a group of essential Drive volunteers, checking-in donors and recruiting other downtowners to help; and
WHEREAS this team of downtown residents, including Lori Hanley and Sandra Smith, brought their former professional skills as medical and management professionals to the recruitment and management of the work of about a dozen downtown residents; and
WHEREAS this group of downtown residents hosted their first monthly blood drive on April 9, 2020; and
WHEREAS Union Depot leadership and staff supported this effort through assuring the advance availability of staff and space including the Veterans Gallery, a location that has continued to attract donors from all around the metro area; and
WHEREAS they have now been hosting blood drives for two years and just celebrated their 25th monthly drive on May 19, 2022; and
WHEREAS this enthusiastic team, in coordination with the Red Cross, has collected over 1000 units of blood; and
WHEREAS the commitment of these individual neighbors illustrates that a few committed individuals can and do make a difference, by stepping up and using their skills to self-organize; and
WHEREAS they have made a real difference while demonstrating a true commitment to their neighbors, their community, and others in need; and
WHEREAS their work has inspired neighbors in Como Park and elsewhere to create their own drives; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED that the Saint Paul City Council is deeply appreciative of the spirit and commitment shown by this dedicated group of Saint Paul residents and wishes to honor and celebrate their work on behalf of others.