St. Paul, Minn. -- Duluth, MN, resident and long-time loyal
blood donor Jon Nelson is now the proud owner of a new all-terrain vehicle
(ATV), thanks to Polaris Industries and a random drawing in a special promotion
sponsored by Memorial Blood Centers. Throughout the month of July, volunteers
who stepped up to give blood with Memorial Blood Centers became eligible to
enter the Fishing for Donors campaign with a chance to win the Polaris ATV.
Nelson was presented with the ATV during a recent ceremony celebrating the
cause of blood donation held at Memorial Blood Centers' headquarters in St. Paul.
"I know people say this all the time but, truly, I
never win anything," Nelson said as he accepted the ATV. "As a
long-time blood donor, I know personally what my donation can do. I began
giving blood with Memorial Blood Centers over 30 years ago. A good friend of my
mother's was undergoing cancer treatments and because my mom knew I had the
same blood type as her friend, she asked me to donate. Helping out people like
my mother's friend continues to be my motivation to donate blood. Winning this
Polaris ATV is a special bonus."
More than 30 local hospital partners rely on Memorial Blood Centers
to supply more than 2,000 units of blood every month-including throughout the
summer when blood donations are typically low. Special promotions and
give-aways-like the ATV from Polaris-can often be instrumental in encouraging
blood donors to make a special effort to donate during this time.
According to Donald C. Berglund, Chief Executive Officer of
Memorial Blood Centers, "In addition to the challenges we typically face
during the summer, this July was truly extraordinary. Many donors extended their
4th of July holiday into the following weekend. And the severe flooding in the
Northland temporarily closed three of our donor centers, canceled many blood
drives and deterred hundreds of donors from keeping their appointments. Yet
loyal donors, like Jon Nelson, donated more than 10,000 units of blood in
July-an achievement that wouldn't have been possible without the generosity of
Polaris Industries. We honor their corporate citizenship and look forward to
continuing our richly rewarding partnership."
"Everyone at Polaris is proud to support the mission of
Memorial Blood Centers," said Scott W. Wine, Polaris Chief Executive
Officer. "Personally, I am thrilled that our donated ATV was able to help
generate such tremendous donations during the campaign.
"In addition to enthusiastic donors like Nelson,
Polaris employees are the other heroes of this story," Wine added.
"They have been enthusiastic blood donors since we hosted our first drive
in 1997. Thirty blood drives and 114 gallons later, the number of donated units
of blood still continues to grow year-after-year. Employees at our
Medina/Plymouth location, for example, recently tripled their donations over
the previous drive, and our Osceola location held its first-time drive this
past June. Over the years, we are incredibly pleased to have had the
opportunity to work with Memorial Blood Centers to make such a profound
difference in the lives of others and to give back to the communities in which
we live and work."
