Red Cross workers have to travel 260 miles (420 kilometers), round trip, by car to come to the small city of Valentine, Nebraska, USA, when the Valentine Rotary Club has a blood drive every two months. "We are out in the sticks, a long way from anywhere," says William R. "Bob" Stetter, member of Valentine Rotary Club and serving as Governor 2007-08 for District 5630. The Valentine Rotarians began their blood drives in 2003. By May 2008, the club had collected 2,376 units of blood. During Bob Stetter's DG year, the State Governor of Nebraska has proclaimed Rotary International's birthday, February 23, as Rotary International Day in Nebraska. Nation-wide, the city of Valentine is also known for its post office. (Picture: The DG gives blood).
Valentine - nicknamed
In spite of the distance, the American Red Cross sends personnel to Valentine to carry out the professional bleed of the donors and bring the blood back to the city of North Platte in neighboring Lincoln County, where the nearest blood bank is located.
Valentine Rotary Club began sponsoring local blood drives in January 2003, and by May, 2008, 2,376 units of blood had been collected on behalf of the American Red Cross, the tally showed.
At a blood drive on May 1 2008, 63 donors signed in and a total of 55 units of blood were collected. "We were disappointed, but considering the weather - it was a cold and rainy day - we probably did alright," Bob Stetter concluded.
Bob Stetter has over the years been the club's Blood Drive Coordinator. He served as club president in the Rotary Year 2002-03.
The blood drive in Valentine "has almost become a social gathering. Donors love getting together with their friends and neighbors, giving blood and sitting down to visit over a cup of orange juice, and a sandwich or a cookie. It is a great way to see old and new friends," Bob Stetter explains. The Rotary blood drives in Valentine take place in the Catholic Parish Hall.
At the January blood drive in Valentine, the Donor Recruitment Representative for the American Red Cross presented a certificate thanking the Valentine Rotary Club, volunteers and donors for dedicated service in the mission of saving lives. Rotary Club President Mike Young and Blood Drive Coordinator Bob Stetter were on hand to accept the certificate on behalf of the Valentine Rotary Club.
During his DG visits to the clubs in the district in the fall of 2007, the District Governor promoted blood drives. However, "it seems as if most of the areas had their own blood drives with sponsors other than Rotary even though Rotarians helped with some of them. None are involved to the extent of the Valentine Rotary Club," Bob Stetter explains.
The State of Nebraska is divided into two Rotary Districts, 5650 and 5630. The first Rotary Club in Nebraska, Lincoln Rotary Club, received its charter in 1910. District 5630 had its beginning in 1937 and now comprises 35 clubs with some 1410 members. Valentine Rotary Club was chartered in April 1927 and has now 44 members. 27 of the 35 clubs in the district have qualified for Presidential Citation. In early February 2008, Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman proclaimed February 23 as Rotary International Day in the state of Nebraska in honor of Rotary's 103rd birthday. (Rotary was founded on February 23, 1905 in Chicago, Illinois, by Paul Harris, a Chicago attorney). The proclamation ceremony took place at the State Capital in Lincoln, where the proclamation was presented to the two Rotary District Governors of Nebraska, Dr. Cheryl Blue from District 5650 and Bob Stetter from District 5630.
Here is the story behind the special Rotary International Day in the Great State of Nebraska, as told by DG Bob Stetter to www.ourblooddrive.org .
"The Rotary International Day, February 23 is a new event in Nebraska. I received a notice from Rotary International this past December regarding Rotary's birthday that was to be celebrated on February 23. They asked if we could do something special for the occasion. I had a second cousin, Helen Stetter, who died June 1, 2007 at the age of 113 years plus 195 days. During the past four or five years the Governors of Nebraska proclaimed November 18 as Helen Stetter Day in Nebraska because of her longevity. When she died she was the oldest living Nebraskan, the 2nd oldest living person in the United States and 4th oldest world-wide. At any rate, I thought that perhaps the Governor of Nebraska would proclaim February 23 as Rotary International Day in the Great State of Nebraska honoring Rotary's birthday.
I had contacted Dr. Cheryl Blue, the District Governor from the neighboring District in the eastern one-third of Nebraska and also the most populous area, to see if she would be interested in taking part in the project. Dr. Blue thought it was a good idea, so consequently I sent a letter to the Governor.
Governor Heineman's office contacted me and said they would be happy to proclaim February 23 as Rotary International Day in the State of Nebraska and the presentation of the Proclamation would be held on February 13 at the Nebraska State Capital in Lincoln. Dr. Blue and myself were in attendance to accept the Proclamation."
Following the proclamation event, DG Bob Stetter wrote an article for the local newspaper in Valentine and emailed it to all of the club presidents in District 5630. "Rotary seemed to get quite a bit of PR from it," concludes the District Governor from Valentine Rotary Club.
The city of Valentine is named after a Nebraska politician, Edward K. Valentine (1843-1916), who served as a member of the US Congress for a number of years. The city of Valentine affiliated itself with Valentine's Day in the 1930's and has become known as America's Heart City. The city participates in an annual mail-forwarding program for Valentine's Day. Postal bags with thousands of pieces of mail are flown into the United States Post Office in the town so that they can be re-posted with a special Valentine's Day postmark and verse. Valentine's Day, or Saint Valentine's Day, February 14, as a lover's festival dates at least from the 14th century, according to the New Encyclopaedia Britannica. The sending of valentines became a fashion in 19th century Great Britain and later spread to the US and other countries, cleverly marketed by florists and chocolate stores. Modern valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid. The U.S Greeting Card Association has estimated that about one billion valentines are sent world-wide each year. Of course, sending an electronic Valentine's Card, carrying the name of Valentine, Nebraska, to a loved one is also possible in today's world.
Note : Pictures to which there are links in this article can also be found under the journal PHOTOS. The Proclamation of Rotary International Day in Nebraska can be found under PHOTOS and DOWNLOADS (enlargement).
Footnote : William R. "Bob" Stetter, District Governor 2007-2008, and Blood Drive Coordinator for the Valentine Rotary Club can be contacted by surface mail at: William R. "Bob" Stetter, 126 Lakeshore Drive, Valentine, NE 69201, USA. Or by phone: 402-376-2331,(cell) 402-389-1485.
Bob Stetter is a charter member of Global Network for Blood Donation, A Rotarian Action Group.
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