Health

Red Cross: Make An Immediate Difference By Giving Blood Or Platelets Now

Published: Jul 11, 2025 6:45 am

FAIRFIELD — The American Red Cross urges all donors to give blood or platelets now to keep the blood supply strong this summer. Type O blood products are most needed on hospital shelves — especially in the face of summer challenges that can quickly cause blood and platelet reserves to drop.

In addition to summer fun and holidays, severe summer weather can have a sudden impact on the ability to collect blood and platelets. Scheduling and keeping donation appointments are crucial this month to ensure blood products are constantly available in the weeks to come for all patients, including those in trauma situations that may require several lifesaving transfusions.

All blood types are needed, and donors who do not know their blood type can learn it after donation. Book a time to give blood or platelets by visiting redcrossblood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App.

As a thank-you, all who come to give by July 14, 2025 will receive an exclusive pair of Red Cross x goodr sunglasses, while supplies last. Donors can personalize their one-of-a-kind shades with a blood type sticker that’s included. For details, visit redcrossblood.org/goodr.

For those who come to give July 15-31, 2025, the Red Cross will say thanks with a Fandango Movie Reward by email. Use it to catch a summer blockbuster on the Red Cross. See redcrossblood.org/july.

For a full list of donation opportunities in Fairfield County, go to redcrossblood.org and use the “Make an Appointment” feature. Type in a zip code and explore the different blood drives around the area.

Upcoming Blood Donation Opportunities July 12-28

Brookfield

July 29: 1-6 pm, Raymour & Flanigan, Brookfield, 14 Candlewood Lake Road

Danbury

July 12: 8:30 am-1:30 pm, St Anthony Maronite Church, 17 Granville Avenue

July 14: 12-5 pm, Hatters Park, 7 East Hayestown Road

July 21: 8 am-2 pm, Danbury Hospital RSM, 24 Hospital Avenue

July 24: 11 am-4 pm, Danbury Moose Lodge, 75 Boulevard Drive

July 25: 11 am-4 pm, Danbury Fair Mall, 7 Backus Avenue

July 28: 1-6 pm, Ethan Allen Hotel, 21 Lake Avenue Extension

July 28: 8 am-1 pm, Ethan Allen Hotel, 21 Lake Avenue Extension

Easton

July 14: 11 am-4 pm, Easton Public Library, 691 Morehouse Road

Monroe

July 19: 8 am-1 pm, I.B.E.W. Local 488, 721 Main Street

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The Way We Were

Laura Wildman

It’s important to clarify that while public process matters, so does the right of a property owner to reasonably develop land they legally own—especially when they follow the rules and engage with the town in good faith. The Board of Selectmen (BOS), whether one agrees with their decision or not, did not “give away” anything. The land in question was part of a road that had been unused and undeveloped for generations. There was no public access, no signage, and no infrastructure—just an overgrown path most residents never knew existed. Mr. Ackert calls the discontinuance “illegal,” but state law grants municipalities the authority to discontinue roads, subject to procedural requirements. The fact that this matter is in litigation shows that questions of law are being properly addressed in court—not in letters to the editor. If the court finds procedural flaws, they’ll be corrected. That’s how the legal system works. Real solutions are found through public process and the courts, not through social media outrage. What’s missing from this conversation is a recognition that towns need to balance many interests: history, environment, public access, private property rights, and economic development. And while the newly championed Revolutionary War heritage is important, there are also pressing modern realities: towns need housing, economic vitality, and responsible development. These things don’t happen in a vacuum—they require compromise, planning, and often, yes, change. If residents truly wish to preserve this trail as public space, the appropriate path is through purchase, conservation easement, or formal designation—not by expecting private landowners to bear the burden of public sentiment. If the writer believes so strongly in its value, perhaps they might consider investing in its preservation themselves. We can honor our history without freezing our town in time. Development and preservation aren’t mutually exclusive—but vilifying one side of the conversation only deepens division. Let’s focus on solutions that balance respect for the past with the rights and needs of those who live here now.

Discusses Rochambeau Trail And 6 Commerce Road

Thank you both for running my letter and the excellent editor's note. I deeply appreciate the Bee and what it means to Newtown.

Critical Of Re-Election Announcement

Dan was a real gentleman. I had the honor of knowing him for about 10 years from high school and into early adulthood. He was always upbeat and amiable. His love of golf was boundless. I remember him droning on about the type of wedge this or that professional golfer was playing at any given time. He loved to play also. Dan made the winning putt that clinched a championship for NHS men’s golf in 1984. It was a snaking, downhill putt that few people would have had the nerve or imagination to have holed at such a critical moment. It was magic!! You are a true gem, Dan. May your eternal reward be endless days of long, straight drives and the sound of difficult putts finding the bottom of the hole.

Daniel R. Baker

Congratulations John! This is quite a feat & shows a lot of perseverance, endurance, & commitment while becoming more healthy & having fun! The ultimate achievement! Wishing u a long healthy life!

Run 169 Towns Society Runner John Gonski Completes Race In Every Connecticut Municipality

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The 1st Amendment does NOT say "except when there's a budget problem, or when some people wish things would quiet down." There is no way a proposed ordinance can be construed as other than singling out RockthisDemocracy, and also no way the town does not get expensively buried in court should it be foolish enough to go down this path.

Assembly Ordinance?

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Red Cross: Make An Immediate Difference By Giving Blood Or Platelets Now

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