Via Community News Service, a VTSU-Castleton internship, for the Rutland Herald
RUTLAND – On Monday, the downtown Rutland Sculpture Trail unveiled its newest and, arguably, most meaningful piece to date, marking another milestone in the growing collection of art around the city.
The 14th addition to the trail honors Rutland’s Gift of Life Marathon, an annual blood drive that holds the one-day U.S. record for blood donations, set in 2013 with 2,350 pints.
The monument features three local residents: Mary Ojala, a longtime Rutland volunteer who helped with the blood drive until she turned 100; Bobby Poquette, another volunteer and a regular blood donor; and Stefanie Schaffer, a Rutland native, blood recipient and GOLM ambassador, after she was involved in a serious accident in 2018.
Trail organizer Steve Costello says these sculptures are intentionally contemporary.
“If you look around at the other sculptures, they’re all historical figures, people who’ve been dead for 50 years, 100 years. In this case, two of the three people who are featured on this sculpture are alive and with us here today,” Costello said.
Costello gave credit for the idea to local business owner and volunteer Paul Gallo.
“Paul Gallo has been telling me, ‘We need a sculpture related to the Gift of Life Marathon.’ Paul has been a big supporter of it. He was one of the people who really saw the strength and value of it, not just as a blood drive, but as a community-building tool.”
Evan Morse, an instructor and sculptor at the Carving Studio & Sculpture Center in West Rutland, created the piece.
The monument is a column that tells a story with Ojala, Poquette and Schaffer depicted, fixed atop a large, circular base in Center Street Marketplace Park.
“Mary is shown organizing, seated at the table, signing people up to donate,” Morse said. “Bobby is next being prepped to donate blood. After that there are two people seen hugging in the background, which represents giving and receiving; it’s really about community and relying on each other. Next, we see Stephanie, a blood recipient and is sharing her story to inspire others to donate.”
Morse added that the column allows for the story to be continuous, symbolizing the constant need for blood donors and volunteers as the cycle continues.
Organizers dedicated the monument to Tom Huebner, former president of Rutland Regional Medical Center and a strong supporter of the blood drive, who died earlier this year.
“There’s so many ways that Tom Huebner had an impact on this community,” said trail organizer Mark Foley Jr. “In the case of Gift of Life, he not only saw the importance and need for blood donation, as leader of RRMC, but he also saw the incredible work being done by blood donors, volunteers, and organizers. Tom’s support for this effort from its earliest days, adding the weight of resources of the region’s largest healthcare organization and bringing his personal commitment, was valuable as the blood drive grew.”
Foley and Huebner’s wife, Tricia Huebner, unveiled the monument together during the event.
Jeff Yates, president of the Carving Studio & Sculpture Center Board of Trustees, said this monument is cause-driven.
“If you look at what else is on the trail, it’s all about leadership. It’s all about people who’ve made a difference to the community, to the state of Vermont, and different organizations. This one is particular to Rutland itself,” Yates said.
“It really is more themed, rather than being a homage to somebody from the past. As they said, these are living people. I think that’s the real difference, is not all art has to be monumental to someone who’s no longer here. This is recognizing things that can be done in our lifetime. That’s the beauty of today,” Yates said.
Bobby Poquette, who is featured on the statue, said he first got into volunteering after he was invited by another volunteer to come along years ago. He is now doing it all the time. He said this monument makes him feel good about the work he has done in Rutland.
Noel Sinozich, executive director of the Carving Studio, gave credit to supporters such as Luca Mannolini, from Vermont Quarries, who donates all the marble for the trail, and Green Mountain Power, a sponsor who helps move the marble pieces. He also acknowledged RRMC, Betsy and Jim Reddy, John and Sue Casella, Killington Resort, Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region, and MFK Properties.
“It’s everyday people doing heroic things, just by organizing together and giving,” Morse said. “You can be a hero by doing something as simple as donating blood.”