Fate and friends slipped Jake and Stacy Stock in the same deck at a fundraiser in Bozeman, Mont.

“We played a lot of Uno, so we went dressed up as Uno cards,” said Stacey. “We ran around shuffling ourselves and had a great night.”

25 years later, the pair remains best friends and lifelong partners, tackling every challenge together.

“We’re laughers, not fighters; we love to giggle.”

Both recognized the need to give blood long before getting behind the wheel of a Red Cross transportation vehicle.

“We’ve donated blood for years,” said Jake. “I just thought it was an easy thing to do to give to the community.”

“Your impact can be enormous,” added Stacey. “And it can be here locally, or it can go to somebody else in another part of the country that really needs it.”

Every mile makes a difference for patients in need and transportation specialists play a vital role in saving lives.

“If you think about how much (blood) we’re moving, that’s a huge impact as well,” she said. “It all adds up, every piece of it is important along the way.”

For the Scotts, volunteering is more than just giving back; it’s also a chance to reconnect after a busy work week. The duo is dedicated to going the distance for each other and their community.

“We’re both early risers,” said Jake. “We’re not distracted by home or work.”

“The driving is an opportunity for us to connect on a different level, like in a way that we're both feeling goodabout what we're doing and giving back, it’s a really nice thing,” said Stacey. “And to be able to connect with my partner on that and do it together is important.”

The American Red Cross of Montana supports more than 30 hospitals and medical facilities statewide and is always seeking individuals driven by compassion to join our volunteer teams. 

Opportunities to serve as Blood Transportation Specialists and in other volunteer roles are available at redcross.org/volunteer.