4
ciation, in giving out news to the mem
bers and in publicizing ourselves.
Other expense items run about the
same as for 1949 and are as low as
present conditions and a growing OSEA
will permit. The headquarters^ office
is now supplied with a new mimeo
graph machine to be paid for in 1950.
This will save us at least $60 an issue
in printing bulletins and news' letters
and will pay for itself during the year.
The budget allows also for a new desk,
typewriter, adding machine, file cabi
net and minor items necessary to pro
vide the tools for furnishing better
service to the growing membership.
General Financial Condition
During 1949, this association^di<M^
creditable piece of business in getting
into a good financial ' condition, and
more than holding its own in member
ship. This in spite of a very large turn
over in state personnel! We increased
our reserve fund by nearly5$ 1,000; and
at the end of the year our financial
net worth was well over $2400.
If, as members, we keep ourselves
in good standing and encourage others
to jo in t's in promoting>ahd protecting
employees benefits during 1950,. there
will be continued growth for the OSEA.
Its ability to function will be strength
ened. Each of us as members, and
EVERY state employée^ has a real ob
ligation to support the OSEA. It is
the only organization that has always
and consistently worked in the true
interests of^state employees.
OSEA Supports
Blood Program
There wastlittle Gary, badly hurt in
an automobile accident. His mother
said he was hardly in the hospital be
fore a transfusion of blood— Red Cross
blood— was pouring into his veins.
Then there was the Rh negative ba
by whose blood had to be exchanged
for normal blood, four pints of it—
and there was four pints of Red Cross
blood which had been contributed—
And the man from Salem who was
seriously ill in a Boston, Massachusetts
hospital. He used 28 pints of Red
Cross collected blood. Already, 13 do
nors in Salem and Portland have re
placed this blood.
Almost feveryone knows of someone
who has either received from or do-
nated blood to the Red Cross blood
program. It. has been almost a year
since the peacetime inception in Ore-
gon of the commùnity blood program.
Let’s' take Mf j l onBlIounty. one of 19
participating counties in Oregon and
Washington. Since the first visit on
March B ^ rofjlasW ear. Marion county
residents have contributed a total of
1622 pints of blood; have used in the
hospitals; 144.1 pints. Suppose this blood
were valued at the standard commer
cial price of $25 per pint, then Marion
county c S ffiis would have donated
$40,550.
The blood program is a community
project.' The Red Cross assumes the
responsibility of recruiting the donors,
collecting, storing and processing the
blood and transporting the blood to
the hospitals. It is available to all
without cost (although the hospital
makes a standard charge for adminis
tration).
Headed by a local advisæMj commitg
tee from the medicallB^^Sy; many
groups in the community share in the
program. The American Legion as well
as other veteran groups, participate
on. a local and national scale. The Ma
sonic groups, the OSEA, service clubs,
organized labor, and churches|all help
share the task of recruiting donors and
supplying volunteers for this'Àvbrth-
while cause.
The OSEA p articip a tiq ^ ^ S R een
outstanding in Marion county. At the
start of the bloodmobile ^ visits w f ten
the state employees constituted the
bulk of the donors. One state employee
received 12 pints of blood and at the
next visit of the bloodmobile more
than twice as many of his fellow work
ers donated blood.
This program is a continuing one.
Lacking the urgent appeal of wartime,
it is nevertheless fulfilling a '^ B i un-
ity need which had not been met in
any other way. The continuance of the
program is up to everyône in every
town. Only a human being can manu
facture blood and only blood can re
place blood lost in sickness or accident.