Archives for August 2010

Happy Retirement to Gertrude “Blood Shortage” Stopper! - 2010 08 05

by JoEllen Myslik, Peninsula Account Rep, proud four time “Stopper” award winner, and avid blood donor

On June 4th, 2010, after nearly 38 years, Gertrude Stopper retired from the Blood Center. 

Gertrude, a native San Franciscan, moved to Burlingame in 1959 with her husband, Leonard.  After having three children, she began working part-time as a Telephone Recruiter at Peninsula Memorial Blood Bank on July 24th, 1972.  This job entailed calling donors to come into the Center to donate, and her managers lovingly referred to this job as being a “Call Girl”.  In 1976, Management decided they needed a Field Recruiter, someone who would organize Blood Drives in the community, and after being so successful and persuasive on the phones, Gertrude was offered this position.  She fondly recalls starting as a “Call Girl” and then progressing to “Street Walker”!
In 1998, Peninsula Memorial Blood Bank merged with Irwin Blood Center and became known as Blood Centers of the Pacific – Peninsula Center.  When Gertrude began, the blood center only did one blood drive per day and the need was 150 pints daily for seven or eight hospitals—- now as a larger organization, multiple blood drives are run each day and the need is approximately 500 pints for over forty Northern California hospitals. 

When asked about her time at the Blood Center, Gertrude says, “It has been a very rewarding position.  I feel that what I did, and what all the Recruiters do, is important work.  And the Coordinators I worked with have been wonderful.  I hope I have helped save lots of lives in the 38 years I have been employed here!”  In fact, by nearest calculations, over the course of her tenure, Gertrude has been responsible for collecting nearly 200,000 pints of blood, which has helped save the lives of over half a million people!

There is even an award that the Blood Centers of the Pacific created in Gertrude’s honor several years ago:  the “Blood Shortage ‘Stopper’ of the Month” award, presented to the Field Recruiter responsible for obtaining the highest number of pints in their territory during a particular month.  The Reps all agree that it’s quite an honor to win the “Stopper Award”.

Gertrude means a lot to many people and has made many friends along the way.  She has been an integral part of the company’s success for so many years and will be sorely missed by her coworkers, our blood drive coordinators, and donors alike. 

All of us at Blood Centers of the Pacific wish Gertrude much happiness and some well deserved relaxation in her retirement.

Archives for July

Going the Extra Mile - 2010 07 27

The saying goes, “Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile.” And Bob Abeling does exactly that, if not more. Not because it has anything to do with measurements or his trade as a carpenter, but because he believes in going above and beyond for the cause of blood donation.

“About 3 percent of the parishioners donate blood,” said Bob, blood drive coordinator at Our Lady of Loretto Church, Novato, and a carpenter for the City and County of San Francisco before his retirement. “I want 10 percent and more!”

According to BCP Account Representative Jeanne Nielsen, Our Lady of Loretto Church has been hosting blood drives since 2001. “Bob took over on behalf of the Knights of Columbus in April 2006,” said Jeanne. “He does an amazing job and hosts five to six blood drives a year, averaging about 40 pints at each drive.”

Even though 917 pints of blood have been donated since he became blood drive coordinator, Bob continues to be relentless in his efforts to save even more lives. “You’ve got to make those phone calls to push a little, but not too much,” said the 73-year-old, who was also a blood drive coordinator at San Francisco General Hospital when he worked there from the 1970s through the 90s. “Ask them to bring their friend, neighbor or coworker to the next blood drive.”

To garner more donors, Bob gets prizes donated such as savings bonds and gift certificates or other gifts to raffle off.  On top of that, he also enlists the help of volunteers to call past donors to encourage them to give the gift of life at the next blood drive. Bob also organized a donor appreciation lunch in May for donors who reached at least 25 donations.

In addition to being a blood hero, Bob—married for 50 years with two kids and eight grandchildren—also volunteers at the Indian Valley Associates, a homeowners’ organization, and the Marin Chapter of the California Grand Jurors Association as well as the Knights of Columbus.

Thank you Bob Abeling for your outstanding efforts and taking that extra “mile” in helping save lives!