Community Cuts Ribbon on New Blood Center

Community leaders and New Jersey Blood Services staff came together this afternoon to celebrate the official grand opening of the Scotch Plains Blood Center, located at 2279 South Avenue.

The center unofficially opened its doors about a month ago, and had been serving area blood and platelet donors on an occasional basis until the facilities were complete. Now that the center has all of its bells and whistles, including state-of-the-art donor beds and an array of local art, it plans to hold more set hours. Keri Yanchok-DiLauro of New Jersey Blood Services said the center will be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Assemblywoman Linda Stender, along with Scotch Plains Mayor Nancy Malool and Fanwood Council President Donna Dolce, were on hand Tuesday to help cut the ribbon outside the facility's front doors. But the star of the show was truly Fanwood resident and longtime community volunteer 94-year-old Bob Sommerich.

Sommerich's passion for helping the blood center all started when his son did an Eagle Scout project involving donations. Ever since, he's been a regular donor, and has single-handedly recruited 600 new donors in Union County, according to New Jersey Blood Services' Marie Forrestal.

"You know, it's a small world," Sommerich said. "Each of us as donors, we say, 'what are we giving for?' And then the world takes a spin and before you know it, at least in my case, I was in the hospital for open heart surgery and who do you think used blood and platelets? The same guy. When you give and you think it's for someone else, you never know."

Forrestal presented Sommerich with a plaque in his honor, which will hang in the center next to the donation room that's been named after him.

The center's walls are also curently decorated with art for sale from the Contemporary Art Group, which is comprised of artists from throughout Central Jersey. Art will rotate every couple of months. In addition to the facility's donor beds, which each have individual TVs, the Scotch Plains Blood Center also boasts WiFi internet access and several sitting and working areas.

Yanchok-DiLauro said the goal is to make the center a space where people can come in and make the most of their time while donating.

"The director really wants this to be a quiet place away from home," she said.

In line with making the donation center more of a community hub, Yanchok-DiLauro said they will also have a book club. Platelet donors will be eligible to receive a free copy of "Say You're One of Them" by Uwen Akpan when they donate. The center will then hold a session in a couple of months to discuss the book and enjoy a unique African food spread. For more information, contact Anthony Sociedade at ASociedade@nybloodcenter.org or 732-220-7105.

To schedule an appointment to donate, call 1800-933-BLOOD.