As soon as the F4 tornado struck the town of Mayfield, KY, population 10K, the wheels were in motion to bring Tackle the Storm Foundation trailers to the children of the devastated community.
“It matters not where they live, what language they speak, or income or education level. The only thing that matters is that 'the magic wand of childhood’, a fishing rod and reel, has been taken from them through the storm in their lives, could be weather-related, could be otherwise, we will be there for them.” This is the purpose of the 501(c) (3) federal charity that started providing rods and reels to children, big and small, in 2011. Don Barone, a columnist at Bassmaster, started posting about how to help the children of western Kentucky on his Facebook page Saturday morning, December 11, one day after the catastrophic tornado flattened much of Mayfield, KY. He said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever been to this town, but I’ve been in that area many, many times.” Barone’s plan is to secure an area of distribution for Tuesday, December 21, to hand out Christmas presents to the kids that include everything you need to catch a fish…rod, reel, lures, tackle…the works. He said they’re going to clear out the warehouse and as it stands, there are 1,750 kids combos. Barrone would like to see 2,000 complete packages on the truck for those that have lost so much. After the initial post, Barone stated he would reach out to Kentucky ‘bait and tackle folks’ to buy additional tackle. For now, a team is packing up the trailer while another works on logistics. It’s only a matter of time before they announce the planned event. The foundation is keeping the project under wraps, to some degree, while cleanup is going on in the affected area. If you’re unfamiliar with Tackle the Storm, it’s a foundation built for children. Since 2011, the non-profit organization has put ‘the magic wands of childhood’ in the hands of over 1,000 children. They have a website: tacklethestormfoundation.com with additional information and a link to donate money directly to this project for the children of Mayfield, KY. As cleanup continues in Mayfield, Dawson Springs, Cambridge Shores, Bowling Green, and other Kentucky counties and small towns, it’s people like Tackle the Storm Foundation that will make the children’s Christmas brighter and more hopeful. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.
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Donating blood is the gift of life and only second to receiving grace from our Lord and Savior12/6/2021 First Christian Church located at 415 Audubon Dr. in Paducah is hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive today, December 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. According to Red Cross officials, the life-saving organization is heading into the holiday season with the lowest blood supply in more than 10 years. It’s estimated that since the pandemic, donations are down 34% due to fewer blood drives at schools and colleges.
More than any time of year, there’s a critical need for blood donations due to a drop in donor gifts attributed to holiday travel and fewer blood drives. The need for blood products like plasma, platelets, and red blood cell donations is in high demand because of accidents, burn victims' needs, heart surgeries, organ transplants, and those receiving treatments for cancer and sickle cell disease. Only 37% of the U.S. population is eligible to give blood and less than 10% or 6.8 million people actually donate annually. According to the redcrossblood.org, Type O positive blood is given to patients more than any other blood type, which is why it's considered the most needed blood type. 38% of the population has O positive blood, making it the most common blood type. There are certain criteria that blood donors must meet. A person doesn’t need to know their blood type to donate blood; that will be determined during the testing process. Once a person gives blood, the screening process begins. The Red Cross conducts extensive testing on blood donations to study additional components to best match the donation to a patient’s needs. The Paducah Red Cross Blood and Platelet Center located at Falconcrest Drive specializes in platelet donations that help cancer patients. Whole blood is also collected at the Paducah location. Typical blood drives in the surrounding area collect whole blood donations. Donors are encouraged to go online to register for blood donation. Appointments can also be made using their app. By entering the zip code either online or by using the app, available times will appear and the location for donation. https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/donation-time The Paducah Red Cross is open everyday except Wednesdays. It accepts donors from 11:45 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Monday and Thursdays, 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. on Saturdays, and 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. Lone Oak Church of Christ located on Lone Oak Rd. will host a blood drive on December 15. |
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