I am a longtime blood donor. I have been giving on a regular basis for roughly 8 years and have given over 2 gallons of blood over that time. I take pride in it. I see it as a duty, something that is required of me as a citizen of the world. If I don't give blood, someone out there could die. A single donation of whole blood (when they take a full pint of blood) saves up to 3 lives!
Currently, only 3 out of 100 people in the USA give blood.
When the American Red Cross calls me up to try and get my blood (almost like a Twilight novel) they will ask about 3 or 4 blood drives coming up in my area and see if I can visit them. Often, those drives fall on days I am unavailable or where it would be unsafe for me to donate (like before a night when you plan on having multiple alcoholic beverages because the effects of alcohol are compounded after blood donation). That is where this place comes in to the picture.
This is a blood donation facility. They are open 3 days a week with the hours listed.
Open
Monday 1-7pm
Thursday 1-7pm
Saturday 8am-1pm
This means that you have a higher chance of being available to donate at this center than at one of the blood drives. It really is a great opportunity.
As for the donation experience itself? Very much the same as a blood drive. No difference for me except that they didn't have a line and my blood donation took roughly half the time of other donations.
If you are curious about donating blood you can go to www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS
Please know that I am not employed by the Red Cross, I am simply a donor. read more