Blood drives with LifeStream have been one of the most enriching experiences that I had with my community and school. During my freshman and sophomore year I always had the mentality that donating blood not in a hospital setting was unsanitary and steered away from donating blood. I realized how wrong I was when I helped with the blood drives.
Setting up the blood drives took the most effort. Advertising through social media and hanging up posters required a lot of work in order to receive the most volunteers (who were also as reluctant as I was). Each blood drive I helped with laying out the mats, chairs, tables, and hanging up the themed posters around the gym and campus. I also helped cut out themed cards(where donors names are written) and create the finalized Thank You posters. After this I would help with canteen or hand holding. The canteen station was the most busiest. I needed to make sure each new donor received food, a drink, and a time stamp with the time donors are allowed to legally leave. I also kept eye on donors who might feel sick or crossed their legs at the resting station. At the hand holding station, I talked to donors and tried to keep them company and preoccupied while their blood was being extracted.
I learned one major thing involving the community and health. While researching for lood is one of the most needed in donations for hospitals and for every donation three lives are saved. I never realized that high schools were the institutions that resulted in the most donations for drives before volunteering. I then realized that helping these drives effected a wider amount of people than I had imagined. Also, I realized how the excuses "I am afraid of needles" or "I don't have time to donate" did not amount to the value that donating blood had on the lives of others.
Donating for the blood drives also effected me as well. Being a shy person, I did not have much experience in situations with talking to strangers. It pushed me out of my comfort zone. It helped me adapt to different social setting and improved my social skills. In addition, I learned a lot more on how to collaborate with others outside the classroom and how to deal with those who were lazy and did nothing or interacting with rude or immature volunteers and donors.
Setting up the blood drives took the most effort. Advertising through social media and hanging up posters required a lot of work in order to receive the most volunteers (who were also as reluctant as I was). Each blood drive I helped with laying out the mats, chairs, tables, and hanging up the themed posters around the gym and campus. I also helped cut out themed cards(where donors names are written) and create the finalized Thank You posters. After this I would help with canteen or hand holding. The canteen station was the most busiest. I needed to make sure each new donor received food, a drink, and a time stamp with the time donors are allowed to legally leave. I also kept eye on donors who might feel sick or crossed their legs at the resting station. At the hand holding station, I talked to donors and tried to keep them company and preoccupied while their blood was being extracted.
I learned one major thing involving the community and health. While researching for lood is one of the most needed in donations for hospitals and for every donation three lives are saved. I never realized that high schools were the institutions that resulted in the most donations for drives before volunteering. I then realized that helping these drives effected a wider amount of people than I had imagined. Also, I realized how the excuses "I am afraid of needles" or "I don't have time to donate" did not amount to the value that donating blood had on the lives of others.
Donating for the blood drives also effected me as well. Being a shy person, I did not have much experience in situations with talking to strangers. It pushed me out of my comfort zone. It helped me adapt to different social setting and improved my social skills. In addition, I learned a lot more on how to collaborate with others outside the classroom and how to deal with those who were lazy and did nothing or interacting with rude or immature volunteers and donors.
Spring Blood Drive 2014(left) and Fall Blood Drive September 2014 (right)
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Fall Blood Drive October 2014 (left) Winter Blood Drive (Right)
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