Selfie before the action started
I recently saw a news story regarding The American Red Cross’ emergency blood shortage and I thought “I should give blood – I have not done it in years.” Then I thought perhaps we could host a blood drive at Magee – we had hosted them in the past, so I sought and received approval, and then contacted The American Red Cross.
This was my first time coordinating a blood drive. The American Red Cross staff were quick to respond, and we set the date of Monday, August 29. The website gave me all the tools to organize the drive (flyers, emails, etc.) and the staff provided me with the portal to register donors. Our goal was 38 sign-ups, and we surpassed the goal with 40 sign-ups! Monday was busy throughout, sometimes up to 10 staff and volunteers scheduled in an hour. At the end of the drive, we registered 34 donors and collected 29 pints of blood.
David Himes after giving blood!
This event has reminded me that one person can decide to do something to give back and encourage others to give and make an even larger impact. At Magee, we had donors who have given several gallons of blood over their lives, and some who decided to make a donation for the first time. All said they would give again. I left with a sense that I did something good that day, and I hope that everyone who participated felt like they did something good, too. They saved a life!
I encourage all who can donate to decide to do something – give blood if you can, or find other ways to donate and support The American Red Cross. There continues to be an urgent need for blood – please register and donate today! http://www.redcrossblood.org
