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Udupi Diocese: Blood Donation Camp in association with various organisations.

On August 23, 2025, the Health Commission, Diocese of Udupi, in association with the Department of Police, Udupi District, Apoorva Maha Sangha, Mother of Sorrows Church, Indian Red Cross Society, Udupi District, Blood Bank Red Cross Society, Kundapur Branch, and Canara Bank, Circle Office, Manipal, organized a Blood Donation Camp which was inaugurated by Rev. Fr Denis D’sa, PRO of the Udupi Diocese, Parish Priest of St Ann Church, Thottam, and Member of the CCBI Commission for Ecumenism (National Committee). A standee with the slogan “EVERY BLOOD DONOR IS A SUPER HERO” was displayed at the venue.

Present on the occasion were Very Rev. Fr Stephen D’Souza, Chancellor and Diocesan Coordinator of Pastoral Commissions, Very Rev. Fr Charles Menezes, Parish Priest of Mother of Sorrows Church, Sri Pabitra Kumar Dash, Deputy General Manager of Canara Bank, Sri Jayakumar Shetty, Chairman of the Blood Bank Red Cross Society, Kundapur Branch, Dr Ganapathy Yekkar, Secretary of the Indian Red Cross Society, Udupi District, Sr Zarina Lobo, Administrator of Goretti Hospital, Mrs. Sumana Barboza, President of Apoorva Maha Sangha, and Mrs Glady Saldanha, Convenor of the Health Commission, Mother of Sorrows Church.

Dr Edward Lobo, Director of the Health Commission, welcomed the gathering and presented plants to the dignitaries. Mrs Hilda Cornelio, Convenor of the program, delivered the preamble, highlighting the noble gesture of the police staff who donated blood, setting an example for the community by demonstrating that blood donation is a major act of service capable of saving lives. She also expressed gratitude to Sri Rohit, Well-Being Officer, and Sri Uday Kumar, PA to the SP, for their assistance in organizing the camp. Major donors such as Sri Devadas Patkar and Sri Raghavendra Prabhu, who have donated more than 80 times and thereby saved many lives, were also recognized and appreciated.

To spread awareness on the importance of blood donation, a drawing competition was conducted for students of Classes 8, 9, and 10. The winners from St Mary’s Kannada Medium High School, Udupi were Master Pretam Poojary, Prajwal, and Nutan, while Nishitha S Mayya, Hoshika C, and Sowparnika also secured prizes. The Deputy General Manager of Canara Bank, Sri Pabitra Kumar Dash, presented mementos and certificates to the winners. A special attraction of the program was a live model presented by the students of St Mary’s English Medium School, Kannarpady, which signified the importance of blood for human life and was unveiled by the dignitaries.

In their messages, Very Rev. Fr Stephen D’Souza and Sri Pabitra Kumar Dash congratulated the organizers, while Sri Jayakumar Shetty explained the role of the Red Cross in society and stressed the importance of voluntary blood donation. In his presidential address, Rev. Fr Denis D’sa stated that blood can be donated only while one is alive and therefore healthy individuals should take the initiative to donate blood regularly and live a healthy life. The vote of thanks was proposed by Mrs Glady Saldanha, and the program was compered by Dr Sony D’Costa, Member of the Health Commission.

The organizers appreciated the support of the School Principal, Rev. Fr Vijay D’Souza, and Principal Mrs Agnes Pereira in conducting the drawing competition and presented them with a memento as a token of appreciation. They also expressed gratitude to the sponsors of the program—Ujwal Developers, Rural Education Foundation Trust, Canara, Integrated Services, Dr Edward Lobo, M/s Vital Base Healthcare Providers Ltd., and Mrs. Hilda Cornelio.