The Cayuga County Chapter in cooperation with our partner in blood collection, The New York/Penn Blood Region, will celebrate National Blood Donor Month during January with 11 drives held in our community.

As an added enticement to draw new and past donors during what is typically a very difficult month to reach our daily goals, all donors will receive a coupon for a complimentary bag of Dunkin#' Donut coffee, redeemable here in Auburn or at any other participating Dunkin#' Donut. Now that is one special thank you. A note of appreciation to the two local Dunkin#' Donut restaurants for participating, too. Please visit them at 2 E. Genesee St. and 149 Grant Ave. to redeem your coupon and purchase other delicious goods.

At the monthly chapter drive to be held from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, hosted by the First United Methodist Church, 99 South St., and manned by Jack Miller and his team of fabulous volunteers, there will also be coffee and doughnuts to enjoy in the canteen. Donors who are interested in learning more about Aphaeresis donation can visit with Lisa Lape-Kramer. She can tell you all about this process which “takes#” only one part of your blood during the process.

Other January drives include:

• From 1 to 6 p.m. Jan. 8

at Weedsport Presbyterian Church

• From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Jan. 14 at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES

• From 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Sacred Heart Church on Melrose Road; hosted by the Sacred Heart Social Ministries

• From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Jan. 20 at Auburn Memorial Hospital

• From 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22 at King Ferry Presbyterian Church

• From 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 24 at Holy Family Church, North Street

• From 1 to 5 p.m. Jan. 30 at Seneca-Cayuga ARC, North Street, Auburn

There are also six blood

drives during February.

A Babysitter Training class will be held Monday, Jan. 19, when school is closed along with 15 other first aid, CPR and AED courses throughout the month. There are grant funded classes for day care providers, Basic Aid Training for 8- to 11-year-olds (which my daughter took over the holiday break and absolutely loved); Pet First Aid for animal lovers and our regular first aid, CPR and AED classes for use on adults, infants and children.

We are very pleased to offer a new way to take a class #- online.

You can sit at home in your pjs or take it on your blackberry. It is so easy. Go to the Web site at www.unitedwayofcayugacounty.org/redcross and click on the circle which leads you to the registration page. Finish the class and then contact us at 252-9596 or e-mail chapter@ccredcross.org for the second phase. The hands-on classes are scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 8 and Jan. 26. Remember to bring along your certificate of completion when you come to the chapter.

Here at the chapter, we all hope that you are prepared for emergencies such as snow storms or electrical outages. If you have taken a “Be Red Cross Ready#” class, you have the information to be prepared. If not, contact us to schedule a free “Be Red Cross Ready#” class at your school, church, business or other agency. Hunter and Teresa, our AmeriCorpsVISTAs, are ready and willing to come out to see you.

Consider this: your donation of blood can save three lives. A victim of a car accident may require from 4 to 40 units of red blood cells to live through the ordeal.

Please consider donating during National Blood Donor Month.

The Cayuga County Chapter of the American Red Cross led by 250+ volunteers and seven staff members serves the 81,000 citizens of Cayuga County. The American National Red Cross in collaboration with 770 community and regional chapters provides relief to victims of disasters at home and abroad, collects and distributes nearly half of the nation's blood supply, teaches lifesaving skills and supports military members and families.

The American Red Cross, a charity and not a government agency, depends on voluntary contributions of time, money and blood to perform its humanitarian mission. During these times of financial turmoil, please think of all the local agencies which provide services and make a donation to help us all continue our missions of helping.

Susan Marteney is executive director of the Cayuga County Chapter of the American Red Cross