Bozeman, Montana – On Monday, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the brand-new Montana Red Cross blood donation facility on Oak Street in Bozeman. For three years, there have been plans for this new center.
“We always hear that one donation can save up to three lives, and just saving my daughter’s one little life, that changed mine forever,” said Wren Garverick, whose daughter was helped by blood donation shortly after birth.
Another speaker at the dedication, Paul Vaughn, is a regular blood donor who donated a sizeable contribution to support the new facility.
“I lay there on the bed and I listen to the technician, the hum of the activity, and the volunteers giving out juice and I think to myself, ‘This is a great team and I’m a part of it,'” said Vaughn.
The new center is almost five times larger than the old one, according to Jane Knobel, manager of collections for the Montana Red Cross. The more than 8,000 blood donors in the Bozeman region will enjoy a better experience thanks to this facility, which has room for two extra donor beds.
“This space is just so beautiful, bright, and clean,” said Knobel. “It will help attract donors because parking is better, the visibility is better, and it will also attract employees because who doesn’t want to work in a beautiful, new facility?”
Red Cross now collects 44,000 units of vital blood annually to help more than 30 hospitals throughout the state, but with the recent update, they will be able to increase that number.
“I like the way I feel when I give blood and I like the way I feel when they say my blood is being used,” said Vaughn.
