Senior Contract Analyst Don Turney has been with Indiana Michigan Power and the D.C. Cook Nuclear Plant for the past 43 years. For 32 of those years, Don has been a dedicated leader – no, THE dedicated leader – of the company’s on-site blood drives. As proof, in February of this year, Don was recognized by the American Red Cross for his outstanding achievements in collecting 10,376 units of blood (more than 14 gallons of which were his own!), which helped over 31,000 needy recipients during his tenure as a Drive Coordinator.

Although he graciously and thankfully accepted the honor, he admitted that personally, he’s never really needed much in the way of blood services. Still, it’s never really been about his own needs. In his view, ‘paying it forward’ may be an often-used cliché, but it really has meaning when donating blood.

“The blood you give today may not help someone who had an operation last week, but it certainly can be the gift of life for someone tomorrow,” he said. “Over the course of my tenure serving as a volunteer, I’ve seen family members and friends whose lives were significantly impacted through the gift of much needed blood. The need for blood is always great, and every time we put a drive together, I’m always proud to play a part in helping to meet it.”

While Don also took care to recognize the employee volunteers as the ones who provide the brains and muscle behind the success of each drive, he was most thankful for the donors who, in his mind, have always been the true life savers. In fact, according to Don, many of them come regularly to the Cook blood drives, rarely missing an opportunity to donate during their years as employees.

“Whether we’re bringing in over 800 pints in a massive one-day drive like we did in the old days, or a couple hundred pints like we do in many of our smaller drives, the donors have always been dedicated to answering the call.”

The compliments also extended to the Red Cross, particularly for Account Manager and Donor Recruitment Representative J.P. Lanning.

“J.P. and the whole Red Cross Team are a class act,” he said. “They know we’re professionals working for a great professional company that serves our region. In turn, they go the extra mile to provide that same professionalism and service, giving volunteers and donors alike a great experience in return for helping their community.”