Two retired cops have hit the century mark after decades of rolling up their sleeves.
Jim Sutherland and Ole Jorgensen accomplished the feat last week with a visit to the Canadian Blood Services offices in Victoria, where both gave their 100th donation of blood.
Sutherland brought along his wife, Susan, for the occasion, while Jorgensen came with his son, David, now a five-time donor.
Sutherland and Jorgensen, who both served with the Victoria Police Department, began their blood-donating ways in the mid-1970s as part of a group of 10 fellow officers.
Catherine Sloot of Canadian Blood Services said the 100-donation mark is quite an achievement.
“They’ve come in and made that commitment for many years.”
February tends to be a soft month for donations, Sloot said, so the attention that Sutherland and Jorgensen are generating by reaching their shared milestone comes at an opportune time.
Canadian Blood Services had a cake prepared to mark the occasion.
Coincidentally, another long-time donor came in just behind the pair to make a contribution of his own. Wayne E. Young, who said he started donating in 1967, was there for No. 111.
Jorgensen said he and Sutherland, both 61, have paralleled each other in more ways than just giving blood.
Both spent several years together as traffic cops during their long police careers, both retired as sergeants, both served as the other’s best man and both are members of the Blue Knights motorcycle club.
Jorgensen said that 100 donations is not going to be a stopping point.
“We’re hoping to hit 150,” he said.
Jorgensen took his dedication to blood donation a step further by serving as a board member for the Red Cross when it was in charge of blood matters.
That included time as board president.
Sutherland said the impact of donating blood was driven home for him when he posted a note on Facebook after he and Jorgensen got to 99.
“A lady that I know said thank you very much for doing that. She said in her lifetime she’s needed blood twice in life-threatening situations.”
To set up an appointment to give blood, call 1-888-2DONATE or go to blood.ca.
Plastic garbage cans recycled as ‘lumber’
Old cans will soon be yielding new lumber in the City of Victoria.
Victoria residents are invited to the city’s public-works yard at 417 Garbally Rd. during February to drop off old-style plastic garbage cans. The drop-off sessions began yesterday, and will be held each Saturday for the rest of the month.
Cans should be cleaned. Drop-off hours are 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
City officials decided to create a free, sustainable recycling opportunity for people with used receptacles because new bin models are being introduced for kitchen scraps and garbage. A program to separate kitchen scraps from garbage starts Monday, and the city is in the process of distributing 14,000 sets of the new bins to local homes.
Keeping organic material like kitchen scraps out of garbage cans could reduce the overall volume of waste by about one-third. Sidney and View Royal already have compost pickup in place using a private contractor, while Saanich and Esquimalt are looking to separate organics from garbage next year.
Old garbage cans left at Victoria’s yard will be recycled locally by Syntal Products to create synthetic lumber, which is often used outdoors for decks, retaining walls, raised gardens and fence posts.
The city also has other suggestions for putting old garbage cans to good use, like giving them a thorough wash and filling them with emergency equipment, outdoor toys or garden supplies.
Other options are available:
• Plastic cans can be dropped off directly at Syntal Products (6722 Bertram Pl.), anytime and free of charge.
• Metal cans can be dropped off for free at Steel Pacific (307 David St.), from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
• Plastic cans can be dropped for $9 and metal cans are accepted at no charge at Ellice Recycle (524 David St.) Hours are 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Country Grocer raises funds for kids
Country Grocer stores staged a recent fundraising initiative and collected $10,640 to support Vancouver Island children with life-threatening conditions, collecting money through the sale of bouquets, paper T-shirts and Island-grown Christmas trees.
All funds raised are for the Help Fill a Dream Foundation, whose mandate is to make dreams come true for young people dealing with illness.
“Dreams come in all shapes and sizes,” said Help Fill a Dream executive director Craig Smith. “A child’s dream may be a trip to Disneyland or to meet their favourite celebrity, while for their parents, the dream may simply be to spend time with their child as they undergo medical treatment or to make life more comfortable when they come home.
“We would like to thank Country Grocer, its employees, its customers and especially its suppliers, Eurosa and Wintergreen Tree Farm, who all have generously supported this campaign.”
Credit union seeks GIFT applications
Island Savings Credit Union is looking give a GIFT to the public again this year.
GIFT, which stands for Growing Island Families Together, is an Island Savings program created to give support to family-centred community groups. That can include financial support or such measures as help from volunteers. Since GIFT was created in 2010, it has provided more than $1 million.
Applications for funding are welcome until March 15. Requests for volunteers or other in-kind support can be made throughout the year.
Apply at iscu.com or visit one of the 15 locations of Island Savings.
