DAYTON — A blood donation center in Dayton celebrated four donors’ commitments to providing lifesaving care.

Bellbrook resident Wendy Glover made her 100th lifetime donation on May 8 this year at the Solvita Dayton Center along with her husband, Gene, who made his 170th donation.

“One of the reasons I came in today is because this would be my mother’s 100th birthday,” she said. “She lived to be 95 and passed away in 2019.”

The Glover’s donate blood together, and Wendy said once they both retired it made it easier to donate regularly.

Sugarcreek resident Ron Volkerding also reached a 100th donation milestone on April 22 with the goal of receiving a “Donor for Life – 100 LTD” jacket.

“I saw people years ago wearing 100 lifetime donation jackets and I asked them about it,” he said. “That motivated me to do it every eight weeks.”

Volkerding retired after 24 years working as the director of the Sanitary Engineering Department for Greene County.

“I just think it’s something good to do and something I can do,” he said about blood donations. “I know the people that need it.”

Bellbrook resident Rob Johnson made his 100th lifetime donation back in 2015 and recently reached his 300th.

Johnson, runner and former competitive swimmer and currently is the Bellbrook High School swim coach, made his landmark donation on May 9 this year after 11 years of regular donations.

“I’ve been doing it twice a month,” he said. “For me, when I start something, I tend to stay with it. At this point I’ll be coming back here forever. It gets me out of the house.”

Joining Johnson is Beavercreek resident Fred Haller, who also made his 300th lifetime blood donation on April 19.

Haller said he was thinking of his wife as he gave blood, who had to retire from blood donations due to a medical condition.

“It was important for her to donate, especially to help cancer patients because she was a cancer patient,” said Haller. “I told her, ‘You have to stop donating, but don’t worry. You just pass the baton to me, and I’ll pick up the slack.’”

Haller made his 200th donation back in 2016, and in 2017 was involved in a car accident that injured his wife. His wife’s injury called for a surgery that involved giving eight units of blood, which Haller said made him understand the importance of what he does.

“They didn’t think she would walk again because of injuries to her pelvis,” he said. “They took good care of her. She was wheelchair bound for awhile. She’s had 23 surgeries. She’s been through a lot.”

Solvita, formerly the Community Blood Center, is an independent not-for-profit organization that provides lifesaving and enhancing blood products and tissue grafts. Solvita collects, processes and provides blood products to partner hospitals and health centers within their 18-county service area of western Ohio and eastern Indiana, and to select hospitals and blood centers outside the region.

To make a donation, potential donors can call 937-461-3220, or use the Donor Time app or visiting www.donortime.com. A photo ID is required to donate, and past Solvita donors are asked to bring their Solvita donor ID card. Donors must be 17 or older, or 16 and have parental consent.

Contact Ethan Charles at 937-502-4532.