[FEB. 11, 2006]
SPRINGFIELD --
U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood,
R-Illinois, visited with donors and was honored by the Central
Illinois Community Blood Center on Feb. 6 for his work in Congress
to promote blood donation.
LaHood sponsored
House Resolution 220, which was adopted by the U.S. House of
Representatives in October to recognize the lifesaving role the
members of America's Blood Centers play in our nation, not only in
times of disaster and for those in the military, but on a daily
basis to patients in our community.
America's Blood Centers is North America's largest network of
community-based, federally licensed, not-for-profit blood centers,
comprised of 600 blood centers in the United States and Canada. As a
member of the America's Blood Centers network, the Central Illinois
Community Blood Center provides all the blood needed by patients in
20 hospitals in central and southwestern Illinois, including Abraham
Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln.
"Blood is needed 24 hours a day," LaHood said, "and the members
of America's Blood Centers, such as the Central Illinois Community
Blood Center, provide a very important service in ensuring that a
safe and adequate blood supply is available when patients in their
communities need it for emergencies or medical procedures. I am
pleased to salute America's Blood Centers and the blood donors who
contribute so their fellow citizens may have better lives."
Pictured are Tara Tyler, CICBC donor recruiter; U.S. Rep. Ray
LaHood; Tom Lucchesi, CICBC director of donor resources; Margaret
Vaughn, CICBC special projects coordinator; and Patsy Wappel, CICBC
donor recruiter. Central Illinois Community Blood Center supplies
all blood needed by patients in Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital.
Tom Lucchesi, director of donor resources for CICBC, presented the
congressman with a special award for his work. "We are honored to
have congressman LaHood with us to be able to show our appreciation
to him in person for his work in Congress to gain national exposure
on the importance of blood donation," Lucchesi said.
