La Grande Lions Club Supports Red Cross Blood Drive, Seeks Volunteers

Lions Club Chairman Brent Lewis and his volunteers spent a half-day at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Gekeler Lane earlier this month doing the unglamorous but essential work that keeps La Grande's blood supply moving: pre-scheduling incoming donors and personally walking each one from the donation table to the refreshment table after they gave.

That escort-and-pre-registration role, which the La Grande Lions have filled for years at the community's biannual blood drive, was on display at the March 17-18 drive at the LDS Stake Center, 1802 Gekeler Lane. The club turns out for four drives each calendar year at that location, providing the volunteer labor that Red Cross coordinators depend on to keep donors moving efficiently through the site.

The March drive was the second of four scheduled for 2026. With that one now complete, the remaining drives run June 16-17, September 15-16, and November 10-11. La Grande's blood drive program collected 1,241 units in a single calendar year, a figure that reflects the consistency of donor turnout the Lions help generate each cycle.

Beyond the blood drive, Lewis reported that the Lions recently donated $900 toward coats in sizes the club's inventory typically runs short on, part of the ongoing Coats for Kids program. Grocery Outlet contributed detergents for washing the gently used coats before distribution. Lewis also announced that the club's first flower planting of the season is set for May at the Union County Fairgrounds, where the Fair manager sources petunias grown by Imbler High School's FFA program.

The club's most recent meeting included a presentation from Margaret Spence, a La Grande Middle School librarian who has built a string of student programs including chess, after-school art, crocheting, and a book club. Six four-person teams from her Oregon Battle of the Books program competed at the regional tournament in Baker City and brought back a first-place trophy. Those students are now preparing for the state competition in Salem, where they plan to stay in a restored 1910 schoolhouse in The Dalles. The Lions are weighing a financial contribution to support the trip.

Residents who want to volunteer at an upcoming blood drive, contribute to Coats for Kids, or join the Lions can contact the club directly through its community posts or attend a regular meeting. The next blood drive opens at noon on June 16 at 1802 Gekeler Lane.