September Meeting: News & LifeBanc's Chris Crepage

We had a wonderful time at the September Akron-Canton TRIO meeting with our special guest speaker, Chris Crepage from LifeBanc.

The meeting was attended by Bruce Hord, Mary Fread, Rosie Price, Sue and Ray Golden, Don and Isabelle Gordon, Nancy and Walter Hinkel and Dick Samoila.

Unfortunately, our President Dick Becherer was unable to attend because of back pain from a pulled muscle. He would appreciate our prayers.

In other member news, we were pleased to see Isabelle Gordon’s leg was beginning to heal from the injury she received while on vacation. Dick Samolia was feeling well enough to join us since his surgery and looks great. Amanda Goodwin was still home recovering from her August 31st liver transplant, but we hope to see her at next month's meeting.

Chris Crepage, Volunteer Services Coordiantor for LifeBanc was our guest speaker. He spoke about the mission of LifeBanc and ways to help, all with an excellent PowerPoint presentation.

The Mission of LifeBanc

• To increase organ and tissue donation for those awaiting transplant.
• To provide community and professional education to people of all ages about the need for and the benefits of organ and tissue donation.
• To respect and support those individuals and families whose generosity and compassion make it possible to improve and save the lives of others.

Volunteer Opportunity Descriptions - How Akron-Canton TRIO can help

• Ambassador: Discuss organ and tissue and tissue donation with the general public and register individuals on the Ohio Donor Registry at health fairs and community events.
• Educator: Conduct education programs in local schools. Varying opportunities exist for different grade levels: middle school, junior high and high school. (Additional specific training required.)
• Office Assistant: Offer support with office tasks such as data entry, collate information packets, prepare mailings, etc.
• Presenter: Share your personal story with groups of various sizes.
• Event Volunteer: Assist with assorted tasks at annual LifeBanc events. (Opportunities are announced when needed.)

For more information and to get involved contact:

Christopher Crepage
Volunteer Services Coordinator, LifeBanc
4775 Richmond Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44128-5919
p:216-820-4917 c:440-251-9772 f:216-751-4204
chris@lifebanc.org

LifeBanc recently held a grand opening in a new facility in Warrensville Heights. Also exciting, the Board of Directors recently approved new mission and vision statements, as well as values:

LifeBanc's Mission Statement:
LifeBanc saves and heals lives through organ and tissue donation for transplantation

LifeBanc's Vision Statement:
Pursuing a future when the decision to donate is an honor and everyone waiting receives a transplant.

LifeBanc Values:
Integrity, Inclusion, Commitment, Service and Dignity.

Thank you, Chris, for coming to speak to Akron-Canton TRIO. We hope to increase our involvement with an organization so near and dear to our hearts.

We'll see everyone next month on Tuesday, October 19 from 6:30-8:30pm!

August Meeting + Upcoming

The August 17th meeting went well and was very informative. Our Pharmacist Tom Kingsbury, owner of Fulton Drugs (1657 25th St NW in Canton) was our special guest, and we found him to be an excellent informative speaker. Do you have trouble swallowing pills? Some of our members were happy to find that Fulton Drugs sells various sizes of empty gelatin capsules which you can use to insert the pills to make swallowing so much easier. If you have a problem swallowing pills, you may want to check with Fulton Drugs (330-456-2476) or your local pharmacy. There are options!

Our next meeting, on September 21st, our speaker will be Chris Crepage from LifeBanc. He will be telling us about LifeBanc and how we, as parts of Akron-Canton TRIO, can help in our mission of Awareness, Support, Education and Advocacy. It's sure to be a great time!