Barely past Halloween, and still, ‘ve vant your blood!’ Every 2 seconds someone needs blood. Donated blood saves lives across a broad range of medical situations, including trauma patients, cancer patients, newborns, burn victims and individuals with blood disorders and other diseases. This week Annette Geiselman will introduce businessman and volunteer Dennis Houska, and Rotarian Dr. Rob Marschke, to discuss blood donations in our community.
In northern Colorado, approximately 75% of our blood comes from mobile blood drives hosted in our community rather than donations made on site at the Garth Englund Blood Center at UC Health. According to the American Red Cross, an estimated 38% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate; however, less than 10% actually do. Lack of convenient donation sites is a primary reason.
Recently our community supported the Garth Englund Blood Center’s purchase of two new mobile blood buses. These busses will be mobilized to host community blood
drives at businesses and community gathering places.
Dennis Houska began sweeping the shop floor at age nine in his father’s shop, and is now the second-generation owner and president of Houska Automotive. He is a
graduate of Colorado State University and is heavily involved in community service, including the National Marrow Donor Program, the Poudre Valley Health System Board
and the PVH Foundation Board. He and his wife Noreen are involved in many nonprofits, and sponsor the annual Houska Challenge, donating an auto to a Project
Self-Sufficiency family. Most recently they hosted the Halloween Blood Drive. Dennisand Noreen have 3 children and 1 grandchild.
Dr. Rob Marschke is a native of Indianapolis and graduated from the University of Wisconsin and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston before completing his residency
at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. He joined the Mayo Clinic staff in Arizona, becoming Chairman of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, before
serving as the Oncology Research Medical Director of the Poudre Valley Health System. He has authored or co-authored medical journal publications and continues his
professional activities as retired UCHealth medical staff , as an auditor of cancer research clinical trials for the National Cancer Institute and serves on the PVH and MCR
Foundation Board. He is very active in RCFC, and has many personal interests including hiking, fishing wilderness trips and family time. Rob and his wife Diane have
two children.