Gift of Life Marathon Monument Unveiling

The 14th addition to the Rutland Sculpture Trail will be unveiled on Monday, October 27th at 12pm in the Center Street Marketplace Park behind Paramount Theater. The monument depicts the community’s giving spirit, volunteerism, and inspiration - and the national record for donating blood.

The monument honors Rutland’s Gift-of-Life Marathon, which still holds the one-day American record for blood donations 12 years after setting the record, and continues to inspire hundreds of donors each summer and fall. It will be dedicated to Tom Heubner, former president of the Rutland Regional Medical Center, an early and prominent supporter of the Gift-of-Life Marathon. 

Three local residents whose volunteerism, donations and inspiration helped make the drive an ongoing success will be featured in the sculpture, designed and carved by Evan Morse at the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center in West Rutland. 

The sculpture, a large, round column set on a round base, features longtime Red Cross and GOLM volunteer Mary Ojala, who continued to help out with the drive till her 100th birthday; Bobby Poquette, a volunteer extraordinaire and regular blood donor; and Stefanie Schaffer, a Rutland native and blood recipient who has inspired hundreds of people to donate blood as a GOLM ambassador.

“This sculpture will represent the most recent history featured on the trail, as well as one of Rutland’s most impressive community accomplishments,” organizers said in a statement. “Organizers of the Gift of Life were told many, many times that Rutland was simply too small to set and hold the national record. Well, the folks saying that didn’t know the size of the greater-Rutland community’s collective hearts.”

Rutland shattered the old record of 1,968 pints on Dec. 12, 2013, collecting 2,350 pints at five sites spread across the region. The record still stands.

Sculpture Trail leaders from the CSSC and MKF Properties and GOLM organizers Terry Jaye and Steve Costello collaborated to decide who the sculpture would feature, and Morse created a moving tableau that will wrap around a column of Danby White marble donated by Vermont Quarries.

“The GOLM has always been about the community, and Mary Ojala, Bobby Poquette and Stefanie Schaffer represent the breadth and depth of the community’s involvement beautifully,” Jaye said. 

“Mary was a legendary volunteer. Bobby remains an incredible volunteer, and overcame a huge fear of needles to become a regular donor as well,” Costello said. “Stef required untold pints of blood to save her life, and in her recovery found within herself a strength most of us can only dream about, and used that strength to tell her story eloquently and gracefully, inspiring our community to carry on the GOLM tradition and helping save countless lives in the process.”

“The success of the Gift-of-Life Marathon speaks to the strength of community in Rutland,” Morse said. “It’s great to tell the story of everyday heroes who, acting together, make a big difference.”

The sculpture, which will be donated to the city of Rutland upon completion, is funded by Green Mountain Power, John and Sue Casella, MKF Properties, Rutland Regional Medical Center, Betsy and Jim Reddy, Chamber and Economic Development of the Rutland Region, Killington Resort, the Ojala family, and the City of Rutland.

Each of the donors has a strong connection to the GOLM, including GMP as one of its primary sponsors and organizers, RRMC as the leading health care organization in the region, the Reddys as regular GOLM volunteers, Killington resort, which has donated countless ski passes and recruited donors including President Mike Solimano, CEDDR, Casella and MKF, all strong supporters, and three different city mayors, who have backed the drive and sculpture trail since its inception.

The Rutland Sculpture Trail is a collaboration of the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center, Vermont Quarries, Green Mountain Power, and MKF Properties. The Rutland Sculpture Trail was started in 2017 to raise awareness of and pride in local and regional history, beautify downtown, and draw local residents and tourists to Rutland’s historic downtown. It is funded almost entirely by private donations, with each piece of art donated as a gift to the City of Rutland.

The Gift-of-LIfe Marathon will be held in December this year, dates to be announced. Appointments can be made by calling 800-RED-CROSS.