Donation Hall of Fame to make history with 3 new CBC donor inductees
Fresenius Kabi National Hall of Fame plans to induct three Community Blood Center (CBC) donors to its Donation Hall of Fame for the class of 2022: Katie Ellis, Floyd Harris, Jr. Family, and Wayne Wolfe. The induction ceremony will take place on Friday, October 28th, 1 p.m., at CBC Dayton Donation Center on 349 South Main Street.
The Donation Hall of Fame has never inducted more than one CBC donor in the same year, making this year’s event a historic moment, CBC informed Channel 7 News.
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Since 1998, Fresenius Kabi partners with blood centers through the Donation Hall of Fame to “recognize individuals who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to blood donation” and/or encouraging others to donate, the organization affirmed. Blood centers across the country submit their nominees, from which 12 inductees are annually chosen.
Katie Ellis, Floyd Harris, Jr., and Wayne Wolfe are among the 12 inductees to demonstrate their passion for blood donation, CBC stated.
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Kathleen “Katie” Ellis
Katie Ellis is CBC’s top-ranked female donor with 615 lifetime donations, according to CBC. As a pioneer, she became the first female, and fifth CBC donor, to reach at least 600 lifetime donations.
Ellis was born to a Kettering family of nine children and grew up to become a pediatric nurse, CBC said. She began donating blood with her mother in 1969. In 1976, Ellis began donating her platelet.
During the pandemic, she donated platelets twice per month.
Ellis coached Archbishop Alter High School’s reserve soccer team for 16 years in addition to softball and golf. At 73 years old, she says, “I’m still coaching,” but has “kind of retired to babysit [her] grandchildren.” However, she is back with the golf team. “I love seeing the young kids. It keeps me busy and keeps me young at heart,” Ellis claimed.
Her message to the public: “try to come out and give. If you’ve got the time, it’s only an hour and a half out of your day. If you can help somebody - one person! - it’s going to be really good. You’re going to feel good knowing you helped somebody else. It’s like your good deed of the day. Why not?”
Floyd Harris, Jr. Family
The Harris family held their first Floyd Harris, Jr. Memorial Blood Drive in April 2021, coinciding with their patriarch’s 80th birthday, CBC stated. Unfortunately, Floyd Harris, Jr. passed away in September 2020 after struggling with a bleeding disorder that required multiple blood transfusions.
“He got so much blood when he needed it,” said his daughter Jackie Thomas. “Now, we just wanted to give back.”
For some members of the family, the tumultuous struggle before the patriarch’s passing was a wake up call. “I never participated [in mobile blood drives at work]. Out of sight, out of mind. I didn’t understand the purpose of it,” said Nita Harris, speaking about her mindset prior to Floyd Harris, Jr.’s bleeding disorder diagnosis. “Then with what we went through with my father-in-law, the blood he needed, it clicked. He was in surgery and the surgeon came out and said, ‘We have replaced his blood twice during surgery.’ It was an ‘aha’ moment. Where would he have been without blood donors?”
In April 2022, Felica Foreman took on the challenge of making a mobile blood drive at Grace United Methodist Church, CBC informed. The event began with a balloon launch and a prayer. Throughout the day, the blood drive doubled its first year donor turn-out with 41 donors, including 21 first-time donors. The event also raised nearly $1,400 for CBC.
The family wore baseball jerseys for their Hall of Fame calendar photo honoring Floyd’s time as a Cincinnati Reds minor league player, CBC told Channel 7 News.
Wayne Wolfe
Wayne Wolfe dedicated his retirement years to coordinating the Brookville Community United Methodist Church blood drives that began about 23 years ago in the church’s basement, CBC said. There, he made his 80th blood donation even after surviving lymphoma.
Wolfe taught for 27 years at the Greene County Career Center and moved his family to Brookville after surviving the deadly Xenia tornado of 1974.
Wayne was a tireless advocate for blood donation, creatively encouraging people to be ongoing donors, according to CBC. He would print small blood drive schedules and glue them to refrigerator magnets to hand out at blood drives. He was never shy about standing up during church services to announce he needed more donors. “If they don’t want to hear me talk, they’d better do it,” Wolfe declared.
Wayne built an award-winning, monthly Brookville blood drive at Brookhaven Retirement Community that survived the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes, CBC told.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the monthly blood drive relocated to Leiber Center.
Sadly, Wayne passed away in April 2022 at the age of 87.
Wolfe will be presented in memoriam during the induction ceremony, CBC informed.
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After the 2022 induction, CBC will boast 10 donors or donor families inducted to the Donation Hall of Fame.
CBC began its operations in September 1964 in the basement of Fidelity Medical Building on South Main Street. The center was formed to meet the “serious need for a centralized system of blood banking to effectively serve patient blood needs,” CBC said. Originally, the center served two Dayton hospitals, which quickly grew to serve blood needs of all general hospitals in Dayton. Since then, CBC has flourished to presently serve 25 hospitals in 15 counties, manned by a fully volunteer donor basis, who have received national recognition for their work.
CBC continues to encourage the public to participate and help their community by donating blood.
CBC requires these from donors:
Provide a photo ID that includes their full name
Provide CBC donor ID card (for past donors only)
Weigh at least 110 pounds
Be at least 17 years of age or 16 years old with parental consent (form available at www.givingblood.org or at the Dayton CBC and mobile blood drive locations)
Exhibit good physical health
CBC also advises to check the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) blood donor eligibility guidelines.
Those with eligibility questions can email canidonate@cbccts.org or call (937) 461-3220.
Make an appointment at www.DonorTime.com.
For more information, visit www.givingblood.org.
