Plenty of heroes among us

It is often said those who donate blood are heroes who save lives. If that’s the case, Custer may have more heroes per capita than any other town in the Black Hills.
In the last 12 months, the Custer American Legion and Custer Masonic Lodge have hosted seven blood drives and collected just over 415 units of blood. That doesn’t even include drives occasionally held at Monument Health Custer Hospital or Custer Jr./Sr. High School.
“The drives in Custer are one of our largest community drives in the area every eight weeks,” said Jessica Pierce, senior account manager for Vitalant, formerly United Blood Services, the company that works with the American Legion to coordinate the blood drives. “Custer American Legionnaire Jeff Cathcart and community volunteer Deb Streets have worked hard to make the drives successful. From getting flyers out to organizing the yummy homemade snacks everyone loves to calling over 150 donors each time.”
Cathcart, now the local blood drive coordinator, said he is in charge of getting the brochures and flyers for the upcoming drive out, as well as keeping track of numbers. For years Mark Mills coordinated the drives, and he was followed by Ralph Sowder and Jim Welch. Cathcart used to work on blood drives when he lived in North Carolina, so the transition to coordinator in Custer was a natural one.
“We want to celebrate our donors,” Cathcart said. “They are amazing. One has donated over 100 gallons of blood.”
Cathcart said he would like to explore fresh ideas and ways in which the blood drives can be taken to the next level.
Those who come to a blood drive will answer a short series of questions (unless they answer them beforehand online) before having their iron tested to make sure they are able to donate. After donation they are welcome to a table full of snacks while they wait the mandated 15 minutes to leave after donating.
The Masonic Lodge helps with the snacks, as do Welch and his wife, Laura, who make home-baked goodies to bring for donors after they donate. Legionnaires pay for plates, bowls, etc., out of their own pockets.
“We have some wonderful heroes in this community,” Cathcart said. “We have 80 to 90 people in the chairs donating blood every time. That’s a big deal.”
“We are so very thankful for the generosity of the donors who continue to donate, drive after drive,” Pierce said. “There are donors who have given over 100 times. And of course, we always welcome new donors.”
Tentative upcoming dates for drives at the Masonic Lodge are Feb. 13, April 10, June 12, Aug. 14, Oct. 9, and Dec. 11.