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Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/122430
April 17, 2013 TTERS editor LE e to th OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE DESERT MESSENGER. HELLO NEIGHBORS On Sunday April 7, 2013 Quartzsite lost a very special friend by the name of Rosemarie Weckwerth. At the age of 95 her mind was still sound but the rest of her body just gave out on her. What made Rosemarie so special to my husband and I was that she never lost her zest for life and her wonderment about what was just beyond the next bend. Recently we took her on a little sightseeing around town, she was so pleased to see the Community building, the walking paths, all of the equipment at the children's playground at the park, the RC fields, plus much more. It was so much fun to see her enjoying our little town. Can we try to see life as Rosemarie did? Good bye sweet friend, rest in peace. Patricia Anderson Quartzsite Resident THANK YOU RAINBOW ACRES Last December, we handed out about 120 bags at the east end of Rainbow Acres and we collected around 65 bags. In noticing snowbirds leaving for their northern homes, we found this was our second opportunity to be a part of the "Scouting for Food" program at the west end of Rainbow Acres. We handed out 80 bags and collected 43 bags for the Food Bank. Again, we've really enjoyed the chance to help out our community! We would like to thank those residents of Rainbow Acres for donating food. Have a safe trip home, and God Bless all of you. "Scouting for Food is an on-going annual program of the Boy Scouts of America which began in 1985. Scouting for Food is a project rooted in the www.DesertMessenger.com very foundation of the Scouting movement and its dedication to implement the Scout Slogan "Do a good turn daily"-Wikipedia Sincerely, Angel Baeza, Zack Hager, Cobey Hager, and Jonathan McElwain Camel Patrol, Troop 116, Quartzsite HELLO FELLOW LIFESAVERS United Blood Services, a division of Blood Systems, Inc.(UBS), is a nonprofit community blood center providing blood and blood components for patients in our area's medical facilities. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, UBS, nationally, has over 20 blood centers, which provide blood for patients, in more than 500 medical facilities throughout the United States. Recently, there have been American Red Cross (ARC) representatives canvassing local businesses, churches and organizations in Nevada and Arizona, to encourage them to do blood drives for the American Red Cross. While I welcome the spirit of competition, in most cases, this is one where I would suggest you give a great deal of thought when it comes to the health of your donors, community and to your locally sponsored blood drives. The American Red Cross is a very viable entity in disaster relief – large and small – and they also sponsor blood drives - but United Blood Services' ONLY business is blood banking. We serve ALL of the local hospitals with the blood we collect in our communities and have been the sole blood provider, and in partnership with all of the medical facilities, for nearly 40 years. American Red Cross does not have any contracts with the local hospitals in our area and cannot provide blood to them, but they do contract to some hospitals in the Vegas area and other outlying states. The ARC is expanding in the Vegas area, and is causing some confusion with our sponsors/donors located in Vegas. I want to avoid these concerns in our area. If the blood drive sponsor chooses to have two different entities collecting the blood, they run the risk of donors not being eligible each time, because they donated with another carrier (i.e. ARC or UBS), so it causes donors to be very confused and disgruntled, when they find that they are not eligible because of the time frame between donations. ARC and letters to the editor UBS do not have the same confidential computer programs that interface with each other, so there is no record of the donors' last visit to a blood drive, if they donate with another blood bank. This also puts the donor's health at risk by donating more often than eligible, i.e. before the usual 56 days wait between blood donations for a single donation and 112 days if they have done a double donation. The other thing to consider is the fact that we provide blood first and foremost to our local population, unlike ARC, who has distribution to other states, i.e. Utah, Montana , Idaho , etc. ARC does NOT provide blood to our local hospitals (Kingman Regional, Valley View, Western Arizona, Needles, Havasu Regional or La Paz Regional Hospitals). United Blood Services is the only contracted provider. Please give this careful consideration before you donate blood or schedule a blood drive in your town. United Blood Services where BLOOD is not just our middle name, it is our business! Ann Trilby Donor Recruitment Representative United Blood Services 6930 W.Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89117 Direct/Cell (702) 808-1629 www.unitedbloodservices.org 7 THANK YOU FROM QFD Thank You from Chief Kevin Hess Greetings everyone! Another busy season has raced by and the Quartzsite Fire District personnel have completed 456 runs to date this year. (Averaging 114 calls for service per month so far in 2013.) You know every year we receive many thank you cards, baked goods, and one time a case of apples! I guess the one thing that amazes me the most is all the kudos we have been getting from our residents who have visited us on our web site. What I mean by that is, I am humbled and honored on behalf of our entire department! It is so very awesome to have a career that is not only needed, but also appreciated. I really just want to throw out a huge THANK YOU to all of you for being so gracious, and also for your continuing support! Please remember you can call us any time, 24-7 and we will be there. Have a great and worry free day! P.S. Keep the apples coming! Chief Kevin Hess Quartzsite Fire Dept. Quartzsite Fire and Rescue joined Facebook in February. Their page has grown in popularity in the past month with updated posts on fires, power outages, and happenings at the Fire Station. Be sure to LIKE their page on Facebook. To make sure you receive their notices in your newsfeed, click add to your favorites list. www.facebook.com/QuartzsiteFire. Be sure to LIKE US at www. facebook/DesertMessengerNews, too.