The July 10 blood drive honored the brother of township employee Leah Clemenson, shown here with Committeeman Jack Steen.
Mantua teamed with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive on July 10 in honor of a township employee’s late brother.
The sibling of Leah Clemenson, administrative project coordinator and the mayor’s administrative assistant, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2022 at the age of 12. Matthew passed away the following year.
“It all happened within the span of a year,” Clemenson recalled. “When I came on aboard Mantua, I got handed the blood drives, like helping the Red Cross set up here and plan the drives. I was telling the lady from the American Red Cross about my story, and she said, ‘Let’s hold them in honor of your brother.’
“That’s what we’ve been doing and promoting it that way.”
Blood donors arrived at the municipal building between the hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Clemenson wore orange clothing, the color of leukemia awareness, and her shirt had the words “nobody fights alone” in orange lettering. Among the visitors was Committeeman Jack Steen, who briefly stopped by on behalf of the committee.
“It’s not just open to Mantua Township,” he noted of the drive. “It’s open to anyone. It’s a good opportunity for us to create a place for people to donate.”
The event is the first of two this year; the next date will likely be toward the end of the year.
“I think just having the community to help and support and be there and support one another, the blood being donated will touch lives locally, nationwide and perhaps globally,” Clemenson said. “I think it shows the community coming together, that nobody does fight alone.”
