Fernside Red Cross Group

The SVG Red St Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross Society continues to build capacity. Here, volunteers are working on first aid skills with funding from -Croix-Rouge francaise

The SVGRC hosted a Capacity and Gap assessment on August 6th, an important step in updating their disaster plan.

Several decades ago, Larry Stern (pictured left) began donating blood when he joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 18. He remained a dedicated blood donor, and in the 1990s, began donating platelets, faithfully giving every two weeks until heart issues prevented him from donating in 2006.

“While he was still in his hospital bed, he was worrying about missing his upcoming platelet donation,” said Todd, Larry’s son. “To calm him down, I agreed to take his appointment and give platelets a shot.”

From that moment on, Todd became a platelet donor himself, giving every two weeks for more than 18 years. Inspired by his father’s commitment to giving, Todd’s son, Colden, decided to follow in their footsteps and made his first blood donation in January.

When Larry heard about Colden’s first donation, he had an idea — to bring all three generations together to donate.

“He’s very big on three-generation things,” Todd said. “We have hiked many of the Adirondack High Peaks, and he will tell anyone who listens that we are three generations.”

In late March, three generations of Sterns rolled up both sleeves to donate platelets with the American Red Cross Eastern New York.

We’re so grateful to this family of type O blood donors for their commitment to helping patients in need. ❤️