Frequent Donor of Blood Components Honored by Red Cross Chapter

Orange resident Tom Bollinger has been named “Apheresis Blood Donor of the Year” by the Orange County chapter of the American Red Cross. He has made 24 apheresis donations since 1982.

Instead of giving whole blood, apheresis donors give specific blood components, such as plasma, platelets or white cells. The remaining components, including red cells, are returned to the donor’s body through the other arm.

The entire donation process takes 2 or more hours.

“It’s one way to contribute something to your fellow man.” Bollinger explained. “People who are receiving blood are in pretty serious shape.”

Dick Ruiz, who drives 51 miles round trip daily from his Santa Ana home to serve as volunteer director of fiscal and developmental affairs for the South County Community Clinic in San Juan Capistrano, has been named recipient of the 1988 Alexis de Tocqueville Society Award.

The honoree, who retired in 1987 from his executive management post with the county Health Care Agency after 32 years of service, four years ago volunteered two days a month to the clinic. That has since turned into 40 hours a week.

The society presenting the award is composed of county residents who privately donate $10,000 a year to United Way.

The auxiliary for Coastal Communities Hospital in Santa Ana raised $10,000 from the hospital gift shop. The money has been used for scholarships to Eppigene Inta, Linda Tseng, Mariam Habeebuddin and Kim Lappi, all of Santa Ana; Tracy Ann Holt and Alvin Price, both of Garden Grove; Ligia Aguilar of Fountain Valley; Chung Charlie Tran of Costa Mesa; Carolyn Warco of Huntington Beach; Shannon Williams of Oceanside; James Glena of Pomona, and Aimee Ver Planck of Riverside.

Corona del Mar resident Gary M. Hunt, an executive of the Irvine Co. who holds numerous appointed

positions with a series of other organizations, has been named chairman of the board of the Pegasus School in Fountain Valley.

The school is a nonprofit parent-supported organization designed to enrich the academic environment.

“I am pleased to be associated with teachers who care a great deal about the development of the educational and social values of their students and parents who are dedicated to ensuring the continuity, growth and improvement of this unique and valuable assest to community life in Orange County,” Hunt said.