DECADE OF SAVING LIVES

CASEY RESSLER

Frontiersman Valley Life Editor

It takes less than an hour to save a life, yet only 5 percent of the population takes that hour out of their schedule once every 56 days.

That hour involves answering a short questionnaire, undergoing a basic physical and getting stuck with a needle one time - donating blood is quick and relatively easy. But too few people donating means demand always exceeds supply.

"We are always, always, always looking for new donors," said Rachel Boisvert, the manager of the Blood Bank of Alaska's Mat-Su center. "There is so much demand for blood, but since only 5 percent of eligible donors give blood, it's hard to meet the demand."

The Blood Bank of Alaska's Mat-Su Center celebrated 10 years in the Valley Tuesday, and during that decade, donor numbers from the Valley have dramatically increased.

When it opened in May 2005, Marianne Schlegelmilch was the manager, donor recruiter, screener, phlebotomist and just about every other position remotely related to a blood-collection center. Schlegelmilch had a part-time helper, Kathleen Walker Williams, who lost a battle with leukemia in 1999. The center opened in the Lakeview Professional Building and was open three days a week.

"Marianne really got the center up and running, and running smoothly," Jack Williams, the CEO of the Blood Bank of Alaska, said Tuesday. "She was the backbone of the entire operation."

Schlegelmilch got a solid base of donors by initially working with local churches, and slowly, the center grew - more staff was added, additional days of operation were added and blood drives in outlying areas were formed.

Businesses and community service organization helped get the word out, andas awareness increased, so did the donor pool. The center quickly built a clientele of regular donors.

The growth continued for nine years. Then, last year, Schlegelmilch retired, and Boisvert stepped in as the center's manager. Schlegelmilch returned from her Homer home for the Tuesday celebration at the Blood Bank's Mat-Su center.

"I was scared to replace her, to be honest," Boisvert said with a chuckle. "Everybody out here knew her, and I was coming in from Anchorage. They were like, 'oh, one of those Anchorage people.'"

Boisvert had worked at the Blood Bank of Alaska's Anchorage office, and she said donors in the Valley are much more friendly.

"We know most of the donors by name, and they know us," Boisvert said. "Everyone is real polite. Anchorage has a more sterile feel. I like it out here."

In the year since Boisvert replaced Schlegelmilch, the center has increased the days of operation to six, extended the hours the center is open and has started hosting in-house blood drives.

"We're doing everything we can to increase donations," Boisvert said.

The center collects roughly 250 units of blood each month, and the goal is to collect between 300 and 350 units a month.

"I wish all of our centers ran as smoothly as the Mat-Su center does," Williams said.