Sandra S. Moore, 68, reached a rare plateau this month for donating at The Blood Alliance.
Moore, currently at the 101.5-gallon mark, is the first female to surpass the 100-gallon donor milestone in Northeast Florida. She joins an elite club of five men: Bill Conroy (March 28, 2011), Dean Willis (Dec. 12, 2011), Kelly Williams (Jan. 10, 2013), David Crews (Nov. 19) and Carroll Sharp (Jan. 8).
Moore began donating blood in the late 1980s when she left her job in St. Louis to return home to care for her parents in Roanoke, Va. Shortly thereafter, her mother was hospitalized and needed blood for knee surgery, making Moore acutely aware of the need for blood donors.
She decided to make blood donation her primary philanthropy of choice since she wasn’t in a financial position to give to charities.
Reaching 101.5 gallons of donating equates to impacting the lives of more than 1,600 people, helping their health needs, improving the quality of their life, and for some, even saving their lives.
“My mother had several surgeries, from a knee to breast cancer, my sister also used blood during her struggle with breast cancer, and my father had a stroke that placed him in long-term care. So, I’ve been around a lot of hospitals, and seen the need for blood,” said Moore.
The Blood Alliance provides blood to more than 30 hospitals and medical facilities in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. For more information, visit igiveblood.com.
Teachers honored by Arlington business community
The Arlington Council of the JAX Chamber, an organization that gives back to the community and promotes business growth, recognized four public school teachers for their contributions to education in the neighborhood.
Honorees were Andrew Fisher, Arlington Heights Elementary School teacher; Jennifer Correa, teacher at Merrill Road Elementary; Mohamed Arab, Terry Parker High School science teacher; and Lauren Ossi, teacher at Lone Star Elementary.
Each school received a $250 check to support initiatives that improve student learning, such as an outdoor classroom and books for families.
The Arlington Council meets at 7:30 a.m. the last Wednesday of every month at Hidden Hills Country Club.
Visit arlingtoncouncil.org or call Meg Hynes at (904) 521-8927 for membership information.
Hundreds of pets find new homes
For the third year in a row, First Coast No More Homeless Pets hosted one of the largest adoption events in the country, finding homes for 819 dogs and cats.
First Coast No More Homeless Pets brings together Jacksonville Animal Care and Protective Services, Jacksonville Humane Society and other shelters and rescues in Northeast Florida for the April 25-27 event.
“Adoption truly saves lives and our local shelters depend on the Mega events to find homes for these amazing dogs and cats that just need someone to love,” said Rick DuCharme, founder and executive director of First Coast No More Homeless Pets.
Mega Adoption events have been so successful that other communities across the nation and even Canada are working with the agency to implement similar events.
All dogs and cats at the Mega Adoption events are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Three more events are planned this year, with the next July 18-20 at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds & Expo Center near EverBank Field. The Mega Adoption events are sponsored in part by PetSmart Charities.
For more information, visit fcnmhp.org.