By Jasmine Willis
It is an epic "Clash of the Titans" right in our backyards as the two communities face off against one another in a friendly blood drive competition.
Wayland American Legion and Dansville Loyal Order of the Moose will hold blood drives for the American Red Cross. Dansville will have theirs on Nov. 3 from 1 to 5p.m. Wayland will come next on Nov. 9 from 1 to 5:30 p.m.
Holly Miller, American Red Cross account manager said this the first time these two have competed in this kind of event.
“We will be doing a friendly battle between the Dansville Moose Lodge and the Wayland American Legion in November. We will have T-shirts for all presenting donors plus a five-dollar Amazon E-Gift Card. They will also get a Save ARound Coupon Book,” she said. “Right now, the Red Cross is testing all donations for Covid 19 antibodies. We are also In urgent need of blood at the moment, and as we are going through the holiday season, we do not see the need for blood getting much better.”
Donors can see the results of their blood for the Covid 19 antibodies in seven to 10 days. They can do this by going to the Blood Donor App or online at www.redcrossblood.org
Ray West, Dansville Loyal Order of the Moose administrator said anything that can boost up people’s spirits right now is a good thing.
“We need to do what we can to boost up everyone’s spirits right now. We need to spruce things up around here. We are doing it more to see people come and donate blood other than for the bragging rights,” he said. “We want to do what we can to help people out during this time. We will have the fun to say who wins this year. We sure do need to get a good turnout to beat Wayland.”
Kevin Mark, Wayland American Legion post commander said it is great to do this kind of thing on Veteran’s Day month. He hopes to keep up the friendly competition every year.
“We will win. The winners get bragging rights and a T-shirt. We are going to win so bad they are never going to want to compete with us again,” he said. “We have already put in a few pints just to give them a head start.”
West said it is always nice for the veterans to be able to give back to the community too. They are eager to show they are not one kind of organization, but they can wear many hats.
“If we lose, we want a chance to get it back. We will come back for Wayland next year,” he said.
Mark said the legion has never lost at anything and they don’t plan on starting now. Even if the Dansville has a leg up being the Chapter One American Red Cross.
The American Red Cross got its humble start in the small-town of Dansville on May 21, 1881 when Clara Barton formed it after a luxurious stay at The Castle on the Hill. The health and wellness she received there inspired her to do more. After being the Angel of the Battlefield in Civil War, she proved how important the need for this kind of organization can be. It was her strength and determination that went on to save countless lives. Through her efforts we have the American Red Cross still standing today.
The American Red Cross mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.
They help with disaster relief, fires, blood drives, members of the armed services and families all over the country. The values that created this organization in 1881 live on in the hearts of all the volunteers today.
For more information on the American Red Cross visit https://www.redcross.org