(Radio Iowa) – Today (Friday) is World Blood Donor Day as the American Red Cross works to make up from critical shortages of all types of blood and platelets. Josh Murray, spokesman for the agency’s Nebraska-Iowa region, says the day serves as a way to both thank donors for their contributions and to urge others to donate a pint. “There’s no other way to manufacture blood, to produce blood for those patients who need it. The only way we can do that is through generous donors,” Murray says. “It’s really time to maybe encourage someone if you haven’t thought about giving, if you’ve given but it’s been a while, maybe this would be a good time to make an appointment and help us out.”

Summertime is often a slow time for donors, but Murray says the last month has been particularly difficult. “Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a dip in donations,” Murray says. “I think that has a lot to do with travel time, people are busy with graduations and things have been going on the last month. You also throw in severe weather. We’ve seen it in our area. We’ve seen it around the country where severe weather has impacted blood drives. We either had to cancel drives, or folks just haven’t been able to get out to where they need to go to make their appointments.”

When fewer people donate, less blood is available for hospital patients.  “All blood types are always needed,” he says. “Right now, we’ll say type O is more needed, and that’s often the case, O-positive is the most common blood type, O-negative is the universal blood type. They can use that pretty much on anyone.” While the Red Cross is a non-profit and doesn’t pay donors for blood, the agency is offering an incentive during June.

“What we have here through the end of the month is an opportunity for a $15 e-gift card to a merchant of your choice, and there are dozens of merchants to choose from,” Murray says. “When you sign up and you show up at the blood drive and you give, you’ll get an email and you’ll be able to select the one you want. It’s a wide variety, from retail stores to restaurants to other goods and services.”

Those e-gift cards are being offered to donors through June 30th. Find a blood center near you by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by visiting RedCrossBlood.org.

Atlantic, IA – Final preparations are underway for the Cass County Relay for Life event on Sunday, June 30^th. Survivors, supporters, and community members are invited to celebrate and support cancer survivors and caregivers from 11 am to 2 pm on June 30^th at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA in Atlantic. The 2024 Relay for Life focus on our Survivors and Caregivers as they “Take Back Their Day” with this annual event featuring activities for the whole family. Organizers invite the community to enjoy a Kids Play Zone, Survivor Meal and celebration lap, luminaria ceremony and other activities during this special time together.

ALL Survivors and Caregivers in Cass County are invited and encouraged to register in advance to ensure they receive a meal and a t-shirt. Extra survivor shirts will not be available at the walk, so pre-registration is strongly encouraged, either online or by calling committee member Dawn Marnin at 712-249-4773. All survivors, caregivers, supporters and teams that plan to participate are invited to register this year by going to the local Relay website: www.relayforlife.org/casscountyia. You can also call 1-800-227-2345 and have an expert at the American Cancer Society get you registered.  This year’s goal is to increase survivor registration to reach and support as many as possible!

2024 Cass County Relay for Life Committee

The 2024 Cass County Relay for Life will again conclude with the beautiful and touching Luminaria Ceremony. With hundreds of luminarias decorated with bright memories and sweet images lined up along the track at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, this is one of the most special parts of the Relay For Life event. Name after name shines brightly along the way, calling on those who walk it to remember and honor so many loved ones whose lights shine brightly in even dark times. As the event comes to an end, the soft glow of the hundreds of luminarias is accompanied by a respectful silence as the names on each are called out. Though emotional, for many who Relay the luminaria ceremony is a favorite part of the event and a special time to recognize so many lives affected by cancer.

Everyone is invited to dedicate a luminaria “In Support of” a cancer fighter currently on their cancer journey, “In Honor of” someone who has completed active treatment and is showing HOPE to others, and “In Memory of” a loved one who braved a cancer fight. Jodi Christofferson is our Luminaria Lead again this year and is working on the 2024 Ceremony. If you would like to purchase luminaria for a $10.00 donation to honor your loved one, please email her at: jodichristoffersen@hotmail.com and she can arrange the delivery or pick up of the luminaria prior to the event so you can personalize it, or you can give her the names and she can decorate it for you. When you register online you can also purchase a luminaria and let us honor your loved one(s) this year!  Just click the “Learn about Relay” prompt and scroll down to the Dedicate a Luminaria section and follow the prompts. Our local committee of volunteers will take care of making the bag(s) for you.

Raffle tickets to support Relay are still available for purchase at Cappels Ace Hardware in downtown Atlantic for two large raffle prizes: Cappels Ace Hardware has donated a Weber Griddle and Elkhart Plastics of Iowa has donated a Kong Cooler. Tickets can be purchased anytime for $5 each or 5 for $20. Final raffle sales will happen at Relay for Life on June 30, where the drawing will also be held at the end of the event.

In addition to participating in the event, supporting the raffle or purchasing a luminaria, community members are invited to follow the Cass County Relay for Life Facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/rflcasscountyia, to keep up on current activities and challenges! Relay for Life is a reminder that every step taken in the unified fight is for every person touched by cancer. Please plan to join Cass County Relay for Life on June 30, 2024 from 11 am to 2 pm as we Celebrate Survivors, Remember those we have lost and Fight Back against a disease that has taken too much from so many of us!

The American Cancer Society is a non-profit based in communities across the country. The American Cancer Society focuses on “Every Cancer. Every Life”. as the leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. We are improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through Advocacy, Research, and patient support, to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Learn more about The American Cancer Society by visiting cancer.org.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Four community colleges will use grants provided by the state to launch or expand career academies for students to get a head start in a high-demand career. Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education awarded $1 million each to Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Iowa Western Community College and Iowa Valley Community College District, and almost $618,000 to Iowa Central Community College through the Career Academy Incentive Fund, according to a news release.

The Governor said in a news release, “The Career Academy Incentive Fund is an innovative, results-based program that provides high school students with opportunities to gain valuable experience and helps build a strong talent pipeline in our local communities.” She said also, “I applaud Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Iowa Valley Community College District, Iowa Western Community College and Iowa Central Community College for their work to grow career academies that prepare students for in-demand careers here in Iowa.”

Since 2019 the Career Academy Incentive Fund has provided grants to support partnerships between community colleges and school districts, who collaborate on programs for students to learn technical and educational skills and earn high school and college credits, as well as job credentials. It is funded through Secure an Advanced Vision for Education, a statewide penny sales tax for school infrastructure, the release stated.

Iowa Western Community College will offer career academies in cybersecurity, robotics, precision agriculture and mass digital communication to students from five school districts with the creation of a new regional center in Glenwood, supported by the grant.

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges will utilize its grant funds to develop new lab space at its Muscatine Industrial Technology Center, the release stated, supporting career academies in computer numerical control engineering, digital modeling for manufacturing, engineering technology and welding. The center works with six area school districts.

Iowa Valley Community College District’s automotive repair technician career academy, located in Grinnell, will also see expansion through the grant. The district will also work to grow enrollment from six local school districts in other academies, including health sciences, manufacturing and business administration.

Iowa Central Community College will purchase new health science equipment for its North Central Career Center, serving four area school districts.