Please Plan to Give a Gift of Life on May 23rd
Our Prophet has asked us to take an active part to support our community and help our neighbors. As a result, our Stake President has asked us to give a gift of life by donating to the blood bank.

The San Bernardino/Riverside LifeStream Blood Bank is a non-profit organization who supplies the necessary blood for most all the hospitals in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Therefore, volunteer blood donors are needed for surgery and trauma patients, transplant recipients, premature infants, cancer patients, etc. To meet emergency and ongoing patient needs, the LifeStream Blood Bank must receive at least 500 donations daily in order to support 175, 000 transfusions annually. Their ability to do this, without fail, depends upon your help.

One of these emergency and ongoing patients may be one of our ward members or one of your family members. For example, Brother George Cummings needed an emergency brain surgery in February, Brother Albert Field had open heart surgery in March, and Sister Becky Foster had hip surgery in April. We do not know who and when one of our family members may need your precious donation of a gift of life.

Our Ward donated an average of over 12 donations for each of the last five blood drives. The Yucaipa Fourth Ward averaged about 14 donations. However, the Yucaipa Stake averaged 7 donations per ward. The Stake President’s goal is to have at least 10 donations per ward.

By our members donating, our Stake becomes a LifeSteam “club”. Meaning, that all members in our Stake become a member of the Club. As a result, those of us who do not have insurance to cover a blood transfusion, the LifeStream Blood Bank will cover the cost of the blood.

LifeStream also has an “Academy of Giving” program. The Academy provides high school age students (15 and up) who show they care about others in their community and who generosity to participate in the life saving act of donating blood and community service with scholarships. The Academy of Giving is awarding 28 $3,000 scholarships to youth this year. See Brother Kent Mabey for information these scholarships or see details on line at academyofgiving.org.

I wish to thank the following individuals who stepped forward helped someone in need by giving a gift of life during the February blood drive: Bafffey Bentley, John Christensen, Landy Foster, Darrin and Rebecca Goodman, Kestler Heitritter, Lindsay Mabey, Correy Moore, James Nielson, Nods and Virginia Reynolds, Kathleen Riker, Ken Ross, Todd Sowell, Chris and Neilsie Tegel, Susan Troy, John Wells, David Woodland, and Aaron Woods. Several other members of the Ward went to donate but were unable to because of either being not at least 110 pounds or did not have sufficient time to stay and donate. To all of you I give my heart - thanks to for volunteering to give a gift of life to one in need.

May I also thank those who have donated previously. Please sign up and commit to donating Saturday, May 23rd. Bring your neighbors and friends. Thank you.

Kent Mabey
Yucaipa Stake Blood Drive Coordinator