June 26, 2024 — PEF Region 2 is hosting two upcoming American Red Cross blood drives, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 1 and August 9, in conjunction with USW Local 1000.
The need for blood donations hits close to home for Region 2 Coordinator Shelby Wisneski.
“I started hosting blood drives after my husband passed away. When he was in the hospital, he needed, last count I knew, 22 units of blood over three days. Your body only has 10 units of blood in it, so that was a lot. I wanted to do something to honor him, and I wanted to make sure that there was blood available for people who needed it like he did,” she said. “The Red Cross is always in need of people to host blood drives for them, so I spoke to USW Local 1000 about co-hosting a drive so we could encourage members from both unions to come and give.”
The first drive was a great success and the Red Cross asked if the unions would continue to host them. The July 1 drive is going to be the third one hosted by the unions since 2022. They have collected 82 units of blood from previous drives.
“There is always a great need for blood,” said Wisneski. “If you are able, please consider donating! State employees are granted up to four hours of leave to donate blood during work hours, without charging accruals.”
The drives will be held at the USW Local 1000 Union Hall, 100 Nasser Civic Center Plaza, Corning, NY. Register here by searching for Corning dates. If there are any questions, reach out to Wisneski at swisneski@pef.org or 607-731-8686.
“We are hosting blood drives this year to help give back to our community by helping save lives for all of our loved ones that may be in need,” said USW Local 1000 Recording Secretary Kim Kephart. “You never know when blood donations will help a person of all ages. Those in need range from trauma and burn victims to people battling cancer or undergoing heart surgery or an organ transplant. Blood donation is critical in saving a life.
“Hosting a blood drive brings our membership, community, volunteers, and donors together for a good cause,” she said. “This is what makes us proud showing Solidarity and supporting a cause we believe in.”
USW Local 1000 represents about 2,100 members and almost 2,000 retirees in the glass industry. It is based in Corning, N.Y.