Ozarks First teaming with Community Blood Center of the Ozarks during blood drive
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Did you know that it takes around 200 blood donations every day to meet the needs of 40 local hospitals?
Ozarks First is teaming up with the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks to help make a difference. A blood drive will be held at the Ozarks First building, located at 2650 E. Division St., next Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Those who donate will get a free t-shirt and an Ozarks Adventure Pass (while supplies last).
You can use that pass to get free admission to several attractions across the Ozarks: The Discovery Center in Springfield, Ripley's Believe It or Not in Branson, Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs.
You can schedule an appointment at the link located here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Calming Box' sparks controversy in Aurora
AURORA, Mo. — Parents in Aurora are outraged after photos of a 'calming box' inside one of the school buildings surfaced online. 'When we were first starting [our child] with getting help in the school and the special needs room for his ADHD, we were told there was a sensory room where there were like weighted blankets and puppets and squished balls and stuff like that, but nothing even remotely close to a calming box,' said parents Mikayla Thomas and Tiya McKinney. Photos show a box made of wood, with padding on the walls and the door, which does not appear to have any latch of any kind. For Thomas and McKinney, they weren't aware of the box, and say it's a source of trauma. 'I turned it around to [my son], and he just froze completely and started crying. Whenever I asked him was like, Have you ever seen this? Do you know what this is? He couldn't even talk. He couldn't even talk, and he just started crying,' McKinney said. 'Seeing your nine year old break down like that, it hurts for one, and it makes you feel like crap because you had no idea that this was going on and you couldn't protect your kid,' Thomas said. Ozarks First reached out to the Aurora School District. Dr. Ben Yocom, the district's superintendent, gave this statement: 'The Aurora R-VIII School District is aware of a recent social media post by an individual using the pseudonym 'Splater Butt' concerning a calming space located within one of the District's behavioral classrooms. The post includes a photograph of a calming space and refers to it as a 'box.' To clarify, the calming space (sometimes referred to as the calming box) does not include a top (roof) but rather is completely open. Students in the calming space can stand straight up, stretch out their arms completely, safely navigate the padded walls in the calming space, and are completely visible and accessible while inside the calming space. There is no locking mechanism on the door of the calming space and no student is left alone or unsupervised in the space. The calming space is an established component of the classroom environment designed to support the behavioral and emotional regulation of students. The District remains committed to ensuring safe, lawful, and developmentally appropriate support for all students. As such, the calming space is utilized in two capacities: (1) voluntarily by students as a self-regulation strategy; and (2) as part of a restrictive behavioral intervention consistent with Missouri Revised Statutes § 160.263 and Board of Education Policy JGGA: Seclusion and Restraint. As transparency and student safety remain priorities in the District's behavioral support practices, each school year, the District provides parents and guardians with information regarding the calming space, including the opportunity to view the area in person. Parents who have questions, concerns, or complaints regarding the calming space are encouraged to contact Superintendent Dr. Ben Yocom at 417-678-3373.' Thomas and McKinney say they don't care if the box or space has a roof. 'Regardless of if there's an open top, it really doesn't matter. There are a hundred different ways that I could explain that a child could get hurt in that thing, with or without a top, with or without a door, with or without a teacher present in there. It's just not safe. It's not okay. It's not safe,' Thomas said. Thomas and McKinney say until changes are made, their kids won't be part of the Aurora School District. 'I feel like the only way that we would feel comfortable putting our kids back in this school district is if we have a 100% certainty that this is being removed,' McKinney said. 'It's not okay. The way they're using it is completely wrong.' The two say contacting parents is the best way to maintain a level of trust between parents and school staff. 'Call. Let us take care of our child. If you can't ultimately calm them down, give us a chance. We've raised them. We've been with them their whole life. Every single day. We are with them. You're only with them four days out of the week. Don't traumatize them,' Thomas said. Thomas says she's meeting with an attorney on Wednesday to discuss potential litigation and encourages any parents who have endured a similar situation with the district, specifically regarding the calming box/space, to reach out over social media through her fiancé's Facebook account. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Springfield-area first responders to host blood drive with CBCO
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO) is teaming up with first responders in the Springfield area for their Bleed Greene Blood Drive this Friday. CBCO says the blood drive will help keep the local blood supply stocked, saving lives and helping out first responders. The event will go from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday at 220 W. Plainview Road. The blood drive will feature lots of family-friendly activities, such as a free hot dog cookout, prize drawings, emergency vehicles on display, hands-only CPR training classes and more. Successful donors can also receive the following items while supplies last: A limited edition 'Bleed Greene' t-shirt A voucher for a pint of Hiland Ice Cream A voucher for two free general admission tickets to any Springfield Cardinals home game in June or July 2025. More information can be viewed here. CBCO will also give $10 to the Greene County 100 Club for every blood donation. Although CBCO accepts walk-ins, they encourage patients to schedule an appointment to minimize wait times by calling 417-227-5006 or going to the CBCO website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Blood shortage looms as summer demand surges
JOPLIN, Mo. — We're in the midst of the '100 Deadliest Days of Summer' a time when the demand for a life-saving donation spikes – but the supply drops. 'Do something for my fellow man,' said Phyllis Petty, blood donor. She says living in a volatile world makes her feel compelled to do something. 'You know, I feel like God blessed me with good health, and I might as well pass it on to someone else,' said Petty. Donations like hers could end up at one of 43 hospitals served by the Community Blood Centers of the Ozarks, like Freeman Health System in Joplin, where it'll be used by someone like Dr. Brock Carney. 'Summer months are busier, because of trauma,' said Dr. Carney. That's because: 'Accidents tend to happen in the summer.' Dr. Carney says that at Freeman alone, they average about 540 units of blood. 'We see quite a bit of blunt trauma, mostly, car accidents, falls, but also gunshot wounds, stab wounds, any kind of trauma, really, can cause hemorrhagic shock.' Meaning the need for a blood transfusion. Sometimes, they'll have to use what he calls a 'massive transfusion protocol.' 'Which means they need more than ten units of blood products in a 24-hour period,' said Dr. Carney. But there's a problem. 'We collect 40% of blood donations from high school and college students,' said Michelle Teter, Community Blood Center of the Ozarks. And during the '100 Deadliest Days' the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day when schools are out – demand for those donations spikes. 'So, it's kind of a little perfect storm that creates the problem,' said Teter. The CBCO collects roughly 200 units of blood a day from 4 donor centers and 5 to 7 mobile blood person can donate one unit of blood; that has a shelf life of 42 days. 'And a person can donate every 56 days. You see the gap there, so that's why it's a constant need,' said Teter. A need that can become even more desperate in an emergency. 'Last month, one hospital alone used 200 units over a weekend.' A blood donation takes about an hour and can save up to three lives. Something Phyllis knows firsthand. 'My husband sadly isn't with me anymore, but he required several donations, and maybe he got some of mine. We never know,' said Petty. To help meet the summer demand CBCO runs several promotional campaigns like getting tickets to see the Springfield Cardinals in exchange for your donation. You can make a donation at their Joplin facility at 2318 E 32nd Street. You can learn more about their campaigns here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
