Gillette woman nominated for the National Blood Donation Hall of Fame

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – With blood shortages impacting the country recently, one person has stayed true to her schedule of donating every other month.

Nanette Allen is a Gillette resident who was nominated for the National Blood Donation Hall of Fame by Vitalant after she passed the milestone of 10 gallons donated.

People who know Allen will generally describe her as a selfless person. She has committed countless hours to this cause by donating blood herself and volunteering at local blood drives. Despite being nominated for induction to the Blood Donation Hall of Fame, she remains humble about her involvement.

“Complete surprise, complete surprise. Matter of fact, I’m like ‘Jeff are you for real? Are you pranking me?’ This is not who I am. I do not do the things I do for recognition,” said Allen

Jennifer Ash, who works for Vitalant, explains how Allen’s involvement in the community has turned her into a local celebrity.

“Everybody in Gillette tends to know Nanette in one shape or form because she is involved in so many different facets of the community and she’s just a great spokesperson also for saving lives and helping us just encourage others to save lives as well and just to help spread the word of the importance of donating blood,” said Ash.

Allen went on to explain that more people can donate than what people might assume.

“They need all types. They used to say ‘Oh, I’m an AB, they don’t need me.’ But they need all types. They need anybody who’s willing to come and donate blood. They’ll accept your blood,” said Allen

When talking about what goes into donating, Allen emphasizes its a short-time commitment when considering the outcome.

“It takes an hour of your time, an hour every two months, and when we think of how much time we waste on things that really don’t matter. To realize that we could spend an hour to save a life, or three lives, what a great way to spend an hour,” said Allen.

Allen says she doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon and her next milestone is 20 gallons donated.

Copyright 2023 KOTA. All rights reserved.