ST. JOHNS, Mich. — A blood drive at the Knights of Columbus hall in St. Johns celebrated the life and legacy of Roger Dershem, a community servant who made blood donation a priority throughout his life.
• Roger Dershem donated 117 units of blood during his lifetime before passing away in May 2022
• More than 60 people signed up to donate at the memorial blood drive, plus additional walk-ins
• Proceeds from memorial T-shirt sales will fund a scholarship for local students in Dershem's name
Watch the video to see more from the blood drive:
Blood - it's an essential everyone needs. And in St. Johns, neighbors gathered to donate this life-saving resource in honor of a neighbor who made a huge impact.
The American Red Cross blood drive celebrated Roger Dershem, who died in May 2022 after a battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma but left behind a legacy of service and a proud daughter, Dianne Smith.
"It's been really cool to be his daughter and knowing that I have a little bit of him in me," Smith said.
The Dershem family partnered with the Knights of Columbus to host the American Red Cross blood drive honoring Roger, who was a dedicated blood donor himself and widely known for his service in the neighborhood.
"We're gonna continue to do this annual event in Roger's name," said American Red Cross donor recruitment manager Michael Turner. "Roger gave 117 units of blood and my goal is to get this blood drive where we collect 117 every time."
Smith worked with neighborhood business Sports Stop to create T-shirts honoring her dad. The shirts were for sale at the drive, with proceeds going toward a scholarship in his name for local students.
When I stopped by the drive, organizers told me more than 60 people had signed up to donate so far, plus walk-ins.
The event is honoring Roger's legacy, one donation at a time.
"It means a whole lot as you can tell," Smith said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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