Woman Parties With the Stars

When Julia Bean, of Monticello, Iowa, got the call from her boss at Baxter International, she could barely believe her ears. The vice president of the parent company of Biolife Plasma wanted to know if she was interested in an all-expense-paid trip to the 50th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

“You know it was a chance of a lifetime. It was so surreal. It happened because we had a very successful year with some record- breaking numbers,” said Bean, manager of Biolife Plasma in Dubuque.

Bean and her husband, Doug, joined a star-studded audience on Feb. 10 at the Staples Center.

Aside from scrounging for something to wear, Chicago flight delays, lost luggage and sticker shock over a $70 round of margaritas, Bean said the hotel, limousine ride, food and program were “fabulous.”

Girl Scouts aid patients

Girl Scouts from St. Anthony Catholic School and George Washington Carver Elementary recently made 18 blankets for the “Covers of Comfort” program that provides homemade fleece-tie blankets for adult cancer patients.

Cindy Widmar and her daughter Katie launched the “Covers of Comfort” campaign after Katie’s successful treatment for Hodgkins Lymphoma.

“We have probably given out 150 blankets,” Cindy said. “We believe if every healthy person made a blanket each year, every cancer patient would be wrapped and warm.”

People interested in helping can call Cindy at 563-542-7268 for more information.

– Eileen Mozinski and

Christi Powers contributed

(c) 2008 Telegraph – Herald (Dubuque). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.