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Wednesday evening Clemons said the days immediately before and
after Labor Day weekend had been quite eventful for him. First, he
had taken in a game of golf on Thursday before Labor Day. On
Saturday, he was notified that he had, as a result of that game, won
the drawing for a new set of golf clubs. That felt pretty good for
Clemons, but then, on the Tuesday after Labor Day he was notified
that he had won a vehicle. He said with that kind of lucky streak,
“I went out and bought lottery tickets!”
Clemons also said that while he was aware there was a giveaway going
on this summer at the CICBC, he was not aware that his name had been
entered. When he got the call, his first reaction was mild
disbelief.
Clemons and Kirby
Winn Kirby Winn of the CICBC explained
that each person who signed up to give blood at a CICBC drive this
summer was automatically entered into the drawing. In the region
that covers parts of Illinois, Eastern Iowa, and St. Louis, MO, more
than 65,000 entries were made. The organization then used an outside
source, computer program to draw the lucky number. The number drawn,
Winn said was somewhere in the 27,000’s. When the number was matched
to the name, it was Clemons.
Tara Matheson, with CICBC said that at the Springfield Center
everyone was extremely excited to learn that it was one of their
donors who had won the vehicle. Clemons recalled going to the
Springfield Center after learning he had won, and telling everyone
there he had won. Matheson said, yes, she knew about that visit. At
that time, the staff did not know who the winner was, and they
almost didn’t believe Clemons. The staff called Matheson and asked
if it were true, and she confirmed it was. She said, then they got
really excited.
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Before moving up in the organization, Matheson said she used to, years ago
conduct the blood drives in Lincoln, so she too was very excited to learn that
it was someone from this community.
Winn explained that summer months are particularly difficult for blood centers
because many of their regular donors are on vacation, and blood donations, in
general, drop. At the same time, the demand for blood can escalate at that time
of year. The group felt that adding the possibility of winning a new vehicle to
the mix, would help maintain the level of donations needed throughout the
summer.
Asked about the future of the vehicle, Clemons noted that he and his wife are
considering whether they will keep the Jeep or perhaps give it to one of their
children, a son who is an expectant father. Clemons said they haven’t decided
for sure yet, but they may decide to help out their son with a new vehicle.
Also participating in the presentation from the CICBC was Anna McFarland and
“Blood Drop” the CIBC Mascot. The summertime giveaway is a first for the CICBC.
The CIBC provides blood supplies to a large number of Illinois Hospitals and is
the sole provider of blood for Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln. The
CICBC conducts blood drives on a regular basis throughout Logan County,
including a monthly drive held at the Lincoln Park District on the first
Wednesday of each month from noon to 5 p.m.
[Nila Smith] |
