Damage left to the New Glarus Area EMS station by recent floodwaters didn't dampen the spirit of area residents who helped make this past weekend's first annual EMS "Patriot Blood Drive" an enormous success.

Working with the American Red Cross, New Glarus Area EMS hoped 20 pints of blood would be donated during Saturday morning's event. Instead, when the event was all said and done, 25 pints had been collected in just a few short hours. Just one pint of blood can be enough to save three lives. 4.5 million Americans would die each year without blood transfusions.

"I'm incredibly grateful...