CCB MEDIA PHOTO
Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis.
HYANNIS – A 100,000 dollar check was presented to Cape Cod Healthcare Friday in Hyannis to support the purchase of a blood mobile.
The money came from the Black Tie Blood Red Masquerade Ball fundraiser held last November that was organized by the Rotary Club of Yarmouth in collaboration with all rotary clubs of Cape Cod. The donated funds will be used for a vehicle that will make blood drives more accessible to Cape residents.
Cape Cod Healthcare CEO Michael Lauf said the mobile will ensure a steady blood supply for the community.
”Right now, we transfuse over 10,000 units of blood every year, 45 percent of which are locally produced,” Lauf said. “As we try to improve the care, to reduce the costs improve access, we need to do things more self-sufficiently.”
The Rotary Clubs of Cape Cod jointly presented the check on Friday, May 8, at the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank on Falmouth Road in Hyannis. Cape Cod Five Foundation was the premiere sponsor of the event and platinum sponsors were Wendy’s and Rick Roy Construction of Harwich. The fundraising ball was held on November 1, 2014 at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Harwich. Others who made significant contributions to the blood mobile campaign were the Donald C. McGraw Foundation, Inc; the Ryan Memorial Foundation; and Kinlin Grover GMAC Real Estate.
Less than 40 percent of the blood needed at Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital is collected by local donations. The rest must be purchased from off-Cape sources, which, at times, can be in short supply. The new CCHC Blood Mobile will allow the CCHC Blood Center to hold blood drives at sponsors’ on-site locations, such as businesses, churches and schools, according to hospital officials.
“The Rotary Clubs were pleased to step up to sponsor the Masquerade Ball and support the worthy project, when we learned that every pint of blood donated to the Cape Cod Healthcare Blood Center stays right here on Cape Cod to save the lives of our families and friends,” said Jim Saben, co-chair of the event organizing committee and a member of the Yarmouth Rotary Club.
The new Blood Mobile will allow the CCHC Blood Center to collect blood from across Cape Cod by working with blood drive sponsors at their place of business or their organization’s location. This will allow sponsors who have not had the space to hold a blood drive in the past to step forward to host a blood drive.
“Cape Cod Healthcare is deeply grateful to the Rotary Clubs, the Cape Cod Five Foundation, Rick Roy Construction and everyone else who contributed to the Blood Mobile campaign,” said Michael K. Lauf, President and CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare. “The new Blood Mobile will give us the opportunity to go directly to the donor for easy-to-access, convenient donation, which will enhance our blood collection process and ensure that we have adequate supplies on hand for our community.”
In addition to the sale of 265 tickets, the Rotary Clubs also sponsored a raffle for a 2015 BMW XI 28i provided by South Shore BMW. The masquerade ball also included a raffle and live auction for many attractive items, such as an African safari and trips to Antigua and Tuscany.
The Rotary Clubs of Cape Cod and their meeting places and times are the following: Barnstable Sunrise Rotary Club – Mondays at 7am at the Optimist Café, Yarmouth Port; The Rotary Club of Falmouth – Tuesdays at 6:15pm at Atria Woodbriar, Falmouth; The Rotary Club of Harwich/Dennis – Thursdays at 7 am at Grumpy’s, Dennis; The Rotary Club of Hyannis – Thursdays at 12noon at the Hyannis Golf Club; Nauset Rotary Club – Mondays at 7am at the Hearth N’ Kettle, Orleans; Rotary Club of Osterville – Wednesdays at 12noon at Wimpy’s, Osterville; Rotary Club of Yarmouth – Fridays at 7am at the Hearth N’ Kettle, South Yarmouth; and Rotary Club of Bourne/Sandwich – Thursdays at 7am at Upper Cape Technical High School, Bourne
