Rotary clubs roll up their sleeves to support donor centres

During the month of September, B.C. Rotary clubs from West Kelowna to Lake Country “adopted a day” at donor centres in the Okanagan.

In total, six clubs participated: West Kelowna Daybreak Rotary, Rotary Club of Kelowna, Ogopogo Rotary Club, Rotary Now!, Rotary Club of Lake Country and the local Rotaract club.

Organizers from the various Rotary clubs coordinated the events with Canadian Blood Services in Kelowna, which serves the Central Okanagan area,  providing blood products to thousands of patients in that region each year.  

“We are immensely grateful to donors for their cooperation, understanding and support during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Gayle Voyer, territory manager with Canadian Blood Services in Kelowna. “Blood donations across Canada since the onset of COVID-19 have helped maintain the national blood inventory, and we thank the local Rotary clubs for their gift to our community.”     

Lenetta Parry, president of the Rotary Club of Kelowna and blood drive leader, states “Our inaugural Rotary blood drive, which challenged Rotarians, along with their families and friends in the community, to give blood during the month of September, resulted in 104 donations. We hope that this is an initiative we can continue to grow year over year.” Parry adds, “Every donation saves three lives. This was an easy cause for our Rotary clubs to get behind and support.”