Paul Archambult
To help support those who need blood because of the Sept. 11 tragedy, Cabrini College held its annual blood drive hosted by the American Red Cross on Monday, Nov. 5. The donation goal was 45 and there were 64 donors present. However, 43 pints of blood were collected, one pint per person.
The American Red Cross urges people to donate their blood, especially now in light of the recent tragedy. “The response has been fantastic,” Peggy Carpenter, American Red Cross Volunteer, said, “in disaster times so much blood is used that the Red Cross gets low. That’s why we need to keep this in the public all the time.”
“From blood that is drawn, it could benefit three to five people because of the way the blood is used,” Jean Alfgren, American Red Cross Volunteer, said.
Ann Young, the only American Red Cross RN at the blood drive, said that the blood from the donors at Cabrini is taken to the lab on Seventh and Spring Garden. There it is tested and spun off into tubes depending on what is needed. It is filtered into plasma and different parts of blood that the people receiving it need. It is then transferred to 100 area hospitals and exported to others areas where needed.
There are other ways to help if one cannot donate. Both Carpenter and Alfgren stressed the need for volunteers. “We need volunteers all the time. We mostly have older women because the younger women are at work, so our volunteer lists have decreased,” Carpenter said.
“Everyone but the nurse and director are volunteers. We especially need volunteers in the office,” Alfgren said.
To be a volunteer, one has to go through a short training program, and the volunteer schedule is completely up to the person volunteering. It is non-committal and flexible.
The number to call to get information about volunteering is (215) 451-4000. Any other information can be received at 1-800-GIVE LIFE, or on the web site www.redcross.org.
