News Release August 6, 2008

Contact:
Julie Scott

303.361.2873
Bonfils Blood Center

Local Blood Donor to Join Elite 50-gallon Donor Club

Larry Cloos makes milestone donation Aug. 11

DENVER  (August 6, 2008) – Longtime blood donor Larry Cloos is no stranger to Bonfils Blood Center. He began his blood donation career with Bonfils in 1981. Eight years later he started donating platelets which can be given up to 24 times per year. He is also a three-time stem cell/marrow donor for patients suffering from blood-related diseases. On Monday, Aug. 11, Cloos is set to join only 11 other Bonfils blood donors as a 50-gallon donor.

Cloos will make his biweekly stop at the Highlands Ranch Community Donor Center, located at 541 W. Highlands Ranch Parkway, Parkway Center Building 2 on Monday, Aug. 11, at 3 p.m. for his 400th donation. Over nearly three decades, Cloos’ donations have saved and enhanced the lives of up to 1,200 patients across Colorado and beyond. Bonfils will host a celebration and present Cloos with a 50-gallon diamond lapel pin in honor of his impressive achievement during his donation.  

This is not Cloos’ first time being acknowledged for his selfless acts. In 2003, Cloos, who is in the Navy Reserves as a Seabee, was awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for his life-saving accomplishments through blood donation. This medal, which was created in January 1993 by President George H. W. Bush, was implemented to recognize those who perform substantial volunteer service to the local community above and beyond the duties required as a member of the United States Armed Forces.

Humbled by the recognition bestowed upon him, Cloos says, “Time is the most precious resource we have. If you can give someone one more day, that is the greatest gift of all – the gift of life.”

Bonfils Blood Center celebrates 65 years of saving lives through its ongoing stewardship of the community blood supply and the instrumental role it continues to play in the lives of patients in need throughout Colorado and beyond. Bonfils Blood Center supplies blood to more than 200 healthcare facilities and needs to collect more than 4,000 blood donations weekly to meet the needs of the community and to be prepared for any unexpected events. For information about Bonfils Blood Center please call 303.366.2000 or visit www.bonfils.org.