MASH Blood Drive in Merrill

TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR

The Community Blood Center (CBC), in partnership with VFW Post 1638, held their annual Merrill MASH Blood Drive event last Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Northwoods Veterans Post on Johnson St. in Merrill, Once again the Merrill community turned out to donate blood at the life-saving event, which is one of the largest annual blood drive events in the community.
Presenting donors received a t-shirt and lunch/refreshments, and this year the t-shirt was a special shirt created for the CBC’s larger summer initiative: the Summer Tour for All Types (STAT).
The CBC of Appleton conducts blood drives in communities and serves an area from Northcentral Wisconsin and the Northwoods to the Fox Valley area and down to Chicago, and MASH events in these communities are a part of the STAT.
“The summer months are a particularly challenging time for blood collection, as people become busier and donating blood isn’t always a top priority,” said Julie Van Groll, CBC Marketing and Public Relations Manager. “In addition, recreational traumas and injuries can lead to an increased need for blood.“
“Every summer, we are faced with urgent needs for blood and are working hard to find new ways to attract donors and encourage those eligible to donate,” said John Hagins, CBC President and Chief Executive Officer. “The reality is that one in seven people entering a hospital will need blood. That could be an expected or routine blood need or an unexpected trauma or emergency situation. Whatever the reason, we must ensure that blood is available. Patients are relying on the generosity of local blood donors. Merrill MASH is a great opportunity to help.”
MASH events help add a fun and engaging way to attract donors to participate to help the CBC maintain a reliable supply of all blood types.
Local volunteers help set the scene
In Merrill, a group of local volunteers with their own military memorabilia help set the scene for the annual MASH event, setting up staging outside at the Northwoods Veterans Post and dressing in Army attire and/or Hawaiian print shirts (depending on what time you happen to see them there). The young men donate their time and use of their props to add a little more fun and authenticity to the MASH theme of the event for the entire day. Two of this year’s re-enactment volunteers - Rick Smith and Kurtis Schulz - have been doing so for years, and this year two others joined them for the day. Bradley Stine (Schulz’s nephew) and Chase Frankel. The four brought out military tents, sand bags, ammo boxes, non-operational weapons, and other gear - even a stretcher and a military ambulance - to set up a scene reminiscent of the MASH 4077 unit as seen in the 1970 movie and subsequent television series that ran from 1972–1983. Smith and Schulz said they really enjoy the annual event and doing reenactment type activities. Smith has been staging for the MASH event for the last 11 years, and Schulz has been involved for the last 8.