Village of Lombard Executive Coordinator Carol Bauer, the village’s blood drive coordinator, was recognized on Wednesday, May 13, by Versiti Blood Center of Illinois for her many years of coordinating both village and partner blood drives. Ezequiel “Zeke” Trevino, regional manager, donor recruitment, called her “galvanizing” in bringing partners and the community together for the blood drives, saying it is the “human element” that makes the drives successful. He pointed out that 37 percent of the population is eligible to donate blood, yet fewer than 3 percent donate. “You are truly one of a kind,” Trevino commented, later calling Lombard the “gold standard” for holding blood drives. “It’s great that we’ve gone from two to 30-plus drives a year,” Bauer said of the partners’ and community’s support, adding modestly that “It really takes those people out there,” meaning donors, to make the drives a success. According to Trevino, Versiti works with 437 hospitals in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, including over 65 hospitals in the Chicagoland area. One unit of blood can save up to three lives.
