You, too, could be 'Half Pint'

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BY DREW KERR / Lincoln Journal Star

An inflatable blood drop named Half Pint needs a pair of arms and legs.

The requirements? You must be between 5½- and 6½-feet tall and energetic enough to withstand an hour of perky cajoling.

Sounds easy enough.

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Half-Pint, the mascot for the Community Blood Bank, ascends the stairs with some help behind Three Eagles Communications after carefully deflating the top of the costume. (Gwyneth Roberts)

Half-Pint, the mascot for the Community Blood Bank, ascends the stairs with some help behind Three Eagles Communications after carefully deflating the top of the costume. (Gwyneth Roberts)

If you can help

To volunteer to wear the Community Blood Bank of the Lancaster County Medical Society’s blood drop costume, contact Kevin Hanley at 486-9462.

But Kevin Hanley of the Community Blood Bank said the month-old costume has attracted about as much attention as a penny in the gutter.

The new suit, which replaced a fabric costume Hanley said left people wondering what it was,  has only been worn a handful of times — by Hanley, of course.

It’s an experience he’d like to outsource.

“It’s a little tough to get through doorways. But it’s something different. You’ve likely never volunteered to do anything like this before.”

While the costume may not necessarily boost the volume of blood collected, blood bank officials hope they can interest younger people to donate later in life. The minimum donation age is 17.

The next chance for any aspiring mascots, Hanley said, is a June 14 open house at the Blood Bank’s new office at 27th Street and Fletcher Avenue.

Reach Drew Kerr at 473-7223 or dkerr@journalstar.com.