Beau Braisher - June 2010 Donor of the Month

Beau is a member of Houchin Community Blood Bank’s 10 Gallon Donor Club and has been donating for about 18 years. He was inspired to donate by his Grandpa, Dad and Uncle who are donors also; it is a family tradition. Beau owns Beau’s Pool Service in Bakersfield where he lives with his wife, Elizabeth, and 2 children.

What Motivates Beau Braisher to Donate?

Beau donates blood because he wants to help people and wants to be there for people in need. He believes that donating takes a minimal amount of time to help a great deal.

Max Morris- Donor of the Month May 2010

Mr. Morris is part of Houchin Community Blood Bank’s 18 Gallon Donor Club! That means he has donated blood over 144 times! He began donating in 1955 when he was in the Air Force, and then joined the Houchin community while he was a firefighter with the Bakersfield Fire Department. Mr. Morris retired from the BFD after 30 years of service, and is now enjoying life with his wife of 48 years, Sandee.

What motivates Max Morris to donate?

He donates blood because it makes him feel good to know he is directly helping someone else. He feels like it is our duty to help others; that is why he joined the Air Force and then the fire department. He believes that others should donate not only because it’s a good thing to do, but also because they may someday be in need of blood themselves.

Thank you Mr. Morris for your commitment to Houchin Community Blood Bank!

Forrest Harrison has been recognized as Houchin’s March 2010 Donor of the Month!

He has donated 162 pints of blood which is over 20 GALLONS!  Forrest first donated blood in the Army and then it became a habit to donate at Houchin. He has worked for the Kern County Environmental Health Services Department for 38 years.  Forrest has also been married to his wife, Margaret, for 38 years.  They have two daughters.  He enjoys woodworking in his spare time.

Why does Forrest donate?

He says it’s easy and it’s always better to give blood then to receive blood.  He’s also surprised there is a shortage of blood because everyone should feel obligated to support their community and help out fellow human beings.

What motivates Forrest?

It’s the ability to help others.  We could always do more to help.  It’s also an easy thing to do.  I feel a lot better knowing that I am getting a mini physical every time I donate.

Thank you Forrest for your commitment to Houchin Community Blood Bank!

Billy Elrod

Billy recently donated his 205th platelet donation and has donated two gallons of blood. He has been married for 27 years to his wife Terry. They have three sons-Timothy, Christopher and Jacob. Billy is a native of Bakersfield. In his free time, he enjoys riding his Harley and eating Mexican food.

Q. Why does Billy donate?
A. He feels that there’s not enough participation in our community. There’s always a need for platelets and not enough platelet donors.

Q. When was the first time Billy donated?
A. Billy started donating at the request of his secretary. Her husband passed away from leukemia and she talked Billy into donating. He became a very loyal donor and donated every time he became eligible. Once he reached the two gallon mark in whole blood, he was asked to donate platelets. He began donating platelets and has continued faithfully every since. He is known for being an “on-call” donor. Every time there’s a need Billy is only a phone call away. He is also known for dropping everything that he is doing to come and donate platelets. Billy loves the Houchin staff and is always willing to be there when Houchin calls.

THANK YOU BILLY for your commitment and dedication to Houchin and our community.