Organizations help make blood drives possible
SUMMIT TWP — Adam Friedman works from home, so it’s not too tough for him to donate blood each time he is eligible as long as there is a location within 10 to 20 minutes of his home.
There was a host location relatively close to him on Thursday, Dec. 18, at the Herman Volunteer Fire Company, where the American Red Cross took on a slew of donors throughout the day to stock its blood supply. Although the staff collecting blood at the drive were running a little behind, Friedman stuck around to make his donation.
“I work from home so it’s easy to pop in and donate,” Friedman said. “Whenever it’s within 15 or 20 minutes.”
The Herman Volunteer Fire Company has hosted nine blood drives in the past three years for Red Cross at the suggestion of the Summit Township Supervisors, who were looking to support the blood supply, according to Rob McLafferty, Butler County 911 coordinator and member of the fire department.
Nicole Roschella, communications director for American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania, said partnerships with drive hosts are “crucial” to supporting the blood supply because they give people the opportunity to donate at a place close to home.
“Nothing motivates a blood donor like a direct ask for a donation,” Roschella said. “These partnerships are crucial to bringing in a group of donors who may not have signed up to give on their own, without someone from their group, school or organization asking them to give.”
And the results of Herman’s blood drives speak for themselves. McLafferty said the department’s first eight drives collected 265 units of blood, many of which were from first-time donors.
“21% are first time donors,” McLafferty said. “They had said they would not give blood if it was not convenient for them — now these folks come back again and again.”
Several organizations in Butler County host Red Cross blood drives regularly, including Meridian Fire Hall, Center Presbyterian Church in Slippery Rock and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Butler.
Roschella said these organizations simply need to have the space needed for Red Cross staff to set up the equipment needed to collect blood. Once an organization partners with Red Cross, the Red Cross works with them to prepare the space for a drive.
“The Red Cross helps with planning and organizing the drive and assisting with recruitment tools and we bring along our trained staff, equipment and supplies,” Roschella said.
McLafferty said hosting blood drives for the Red Cross has been pretty easy and each drive the fire company hosts for the Red Cross gets smoother.
“They ask for a certain amount of tables, a certain amount of space. They ask for temperatures. They ask for guidelines for what they want,” McLafferty said. “They use our tables for the refreshment area, but they use their own tables for their own medical equipment.”
Wendy Holt, parish administrator at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, also said it has been relatively simple to host drives for the Red Cross. The church staff mainly just make sure the space is ready for the Red Cross workers to start their day.
“Really, we just kind of work with them,” Holt said, “Make sure the doors are ready. Make sure the floor is open for them to come set up.”
Holt also said the church has been given some options as to what dates they host drives for the Red Cross. She said the church tries to host drives every 56 days or so, which is the time period a person needs to wait between blood donations.
“They already have next year's dates working through the calendar and they tend to happen in the same month every year,” Holt said of the Red Cross. “We coordinate with them.”
Sometimes, a person from the hosting agency will also help with the drive itself, mainly by helping sign people in or manning the canteen area where people go after donating to recuperate.
Will Mueller is a 20-some-year volunteer for Red Cross and signed donors in for their appointments on Thursday, Dec. 18, at the Herman fire hall. He said staffing blood drives is just one of the ways he offers his time to the Red Cross.
“I do case work, disasters, fires. We go to house fires to make sure the people have financial aid, a place to stay,” Mueller said.
“This is my third drive this month,” he added.
Roschella said, while blood donors are appreciated, the Red Cross also appreciates the agencies that make those donations possible: the hosts. She said hosting a blood drive is a rewarding experience because it offers a way for “community members to truly make a difference.”
McLafferty agreed and said giving blood is a way for the average person to save a life. He added he is proud to have helped get Herman involved in the initiative.
“You're just impacting so many lives,” McLafferty said. “We strongly believe they wouldn't have given blood if there was not an option here.”
McLafferty spent some time in the donation area Thursday to help the people running the drive wherever needed. It mostly came down to putting a few more chairs out and adjusting the thermostat to a more comfortable temperature.
Some of the members of the department took the opportunity to donate blood themselves. Tadhg Burk is a volunteer with Herman and an EMT with Butler Ambulance Service. He said he recognizes the constant need for blood because of his work with both agencies.
Before heading to the donation chair on Dec. 18, Burk said he donates blood because it’s another way for him to help the people who experience health emergencies.
“With vehicular accidents being so prominent, it’s important,” Burk said. “I donate every six or eight months … I do, unfortunately, see how much it’s needed.”
Roschella said people or organizations interested in hosting a blood drive can visit RedCrossBlood.org for more information and to apply to host a drive. Donors can also visit the website to find drives using their address or ZIP code.
