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A local resident has been honored by the Inland Northwest Blood Center as their blood drive coordinator volunteer of the year.

Bonnie Femling was recognized at the INBC’s annual banquet May 9 at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane.

Femling has been arranging local blood drives for the INBC for decades.

“Bonnie goes above and beyond the normal duties of a chairperson,” reads the information INBC shared about her, “in that she will travel throughout the area letting people know abou the blood program.”

Femling looks for ways to involve new donors and sends notices to Bureau of Reclamation employees and the newspaper.

She also assists in coordinating volunteers to work the canteen and often does so herself.

That all started 21 years ago, when good friend Dick Caudle had leukemia, recalls his widow Barbara Caudle.

Bonnie Femling

Femling wanted to help in some way. Leukemia patients need a lot of blood transfusions, so she made the trip into Spokane to give blood.

While there, she asked the blood bank to start making regular visits to the Grand Coulee area with their mobile blood drive unit. She’s been deeply involved ever since, even becoming an emergency medical technician.

“Her medical training and knowledge of the area, as well as a personal familiarity with many of our regular donors, have made Bonnie a fixture in the community on the blood drives,” the INBC statement reads.

“We’ve sure appreciated all she has done,” Barbara Caudle said. “She has helped so many over the years.”