For most of us, the holiday season is the giving season. For Al Svajgr, the giving season comes every third Tuesday of odd-numbered months.
That’s how often Al rolls up his sleeves to donate blood, a gift that has added up to 30 gallons since he started his regular practice of rolling up his sleeves at the CTK Bloodmobile in 1976.
Upon Al’s latest visit in November, the bloodmobile staff honored him with a heartfelt congratulatory and thank-you cake to mark the donation of his 30th gallon. Each adult has between 1.2 and 1.5 gallons of blood by volume, so Al has donated enough blood to replace the entire blood supply of around 25 people completely! Most people only need a pint or two, and he has donated over 240 pints.
Svajgr has been donating regularly since 1957, when he was in high school. That’s when his dad first brought him along to donate blood near Al’s hometown of Fairbury, about three hours southeast of Cozad. From his father, Al learned that there was a need for blood donors.
Al has been affiliated with Waypoint Bank since 1983 and has served as the chairman of the family-owned bank’s holding company since 1995.
Donating blood is part of my personal code of conduct. “I donated through my college years and have donated at the Cozad drives for 49 years. It’s kind of my thing. For me, giving blood always gives someone a chance at life!”
In addition to donating blood, Al also contributes monetarily each time to cover the cost of soup ingredients, as volunteers serve hot vegetable beef soup, sandwiches, and Dilly Bars for those who give.
All of us at Waypoint Bank are inspired by Al’s example, and we encourage everyone to give generously from the heart this holiday season. Or as Al puts it, “The things that help make us who we are.”
Photo courtesy of Cozad Local.
