Last Post

This is the last blog post and I would like to wrap everything up with this post. I first taught you a little history about the American Red Cross. Then, I told you about my experience donating blood. You also learned about where blood goes when it is donated. I told you why I chose the American Red Cross for my blog. The last thing I told you about was how to set up your own blood drive. I hope you all learned a lot from my blog. I know I did!
Now I am sure you are saying "where can I donate?!" Well AIC does a blood drive once or twice a year. You can also go through your work or neighborhood and through the people around you. If you google where to give blood around me I am positive you will be able to find a lot of places and times for you to give blood. Thank you for paying attention to my blog and giving me your time. I hope you all donate blood after this.

Have you ever thought of how people or groups set up blood drives? Well I am here to tell you that. First, why should you even set up a blood drive at all? It will really benefit people and it could make you feel like you are doing something great. It is an easy way to give back to the community. You will also be joining the American Red Cross in 125 years of service. Does that sound like something you would like to do? Well here is how to do it!



All you have to do is set up a suitable location. Like a school gym, or a church or a small banquet facility. Not too much space is needed but it really depends on how many donors you plan on having. Then you have to recruit donors and set them each up for times. That is easy. you can set up a facebook page or have people sign up through a paper posted at your school or work. The American Red Cross will do the rest for you! They will help you find a location and help you recruit donors. You can have it represent your group or organization.
All you have to do is go to this link to register to host a blood drive!
Register

Here is a short video about hosting a blood drive


Hosting a blood drive

Here are a few examples of flyers that people have given out for their blood drives

We are over half way through our blogs now. I figured it would be a good time to express why I chose the American Red Cross as my blog topic. I never really thought I would give blood. In high school I was always scared to. Then when I did I found out my blood type is O-. That is the most needed kind of blood because it is the universal donor.
I know I already talked about passing out afterward and everything. After that one of the nurses there told me it is nice that I was giving blood but I really shouldn't again. I think her telling me "no" made me want to do it more. Although it really did affect athletics after that. I of course still tried to do all of the conditioning at practice everyday. I was always tired and it took even longer for me to get over losing a pint of blood. Most people would not have it affect them as much as it affected me. The only reason it did affect me is because I have a circulation problem. I chose American Red Cross as my topic to promote it. I feel bad that right now, while playing sports, I cannot give blood. I hope other people will take my place and give blood. This will be my exchange for the next few years. I can't give blood but I did promote and support them as best I could. Promoting such a great organization really makes me feel better about myself. That is why I chose American Red Cross as my blog topic.

When you give blood, have you ever thought, where does my blood go? I am here to answer that question for you. First, I will tell you the basics. The pint of blood that you give could save three peoples' lives. It can be sent far away or it can be given away at the local hospital. Your blood could even be given to people you know. Often, they are brought to places where disaster has occurred. Like recently the American Red Cross has helped the victims of hurricane Matthew and hurricane Nicole. 
I have known a lot of people who have needed blood transfusions. My best friend actually needed fifteen blood transfusions all within a couple months because she had something wrong with her stomach. They are very common but they do save lives in a relatively easy way. You can help people all over the country and even the world if you donate blood. Here are a few stories that show what your donated blood can do.
Video
video 2
funny meme

If some of you have never donated blood, I would like to try to tell you how my experience went. I never gave blood during high school because I was a little scared of it. I had always passed out more than the normal person so I did not want to do that during school. My sophomore year of college I decided to try it because my friend's mom had passed away recently and they were doing a blood drive in honor of her. I wanted to help. I was always fine with shots and everything like that so I figured I would be okay. I was a little nervous before but everything got easier once I was there.

Everyone working there was very nice and friendly. They really appreciated you giving up your time and blood. When you get there they ask you a few personal questions and make you take a little quiz on a computer just to make sure you are healthy and eligible to give blood. They also do a finger prick to make sure you have enough white blood cells. Then they have you lay on a tall bed type thing and basically just start. During the whole thing you have to squeeze a stress ball to keep your blood flowing. The goal is to fill one pint with blood. I did that and I felt great. I sat for a few minutes afterward because they did not want me to pass out. I got up and ate some food. After sitting up for a few minutes I knew I was going to pass out. I got up to walk back to the bed and the next thing I knew I was on the floor with a bunch of people around me. I thought it was pretty funny because I knew it was going to happen. They told me I probably should not give blood again. I definitely will though. I have the universal donor's blood. So my blood can be used for everyone, but i can only receive my type of blood. That affected my lacrosse playing after that. I began passing out a lot more. Doctors could not find out what was wrong with me but it was kind of normal for me. I have come to the conclusion that my circulation is just a little different than everyone else's. So if another person had a pint of blood taken out of them it would take them a few days to a week to remake that blood. For me it would take a little longer. Donating blood is not for everyone. If you are going to pass out then you probably should not give blood. But really I was the only one to pass out there, out of about 100 people. So odds are, you won't have any problem giving blood. So why not give blood? You could save three people's lives!

After hearing my story about giving blood you might be a little scared, even though there is a small chance you will actually pass out. So I figured I would show you a few videos of other people's experience.

Giving Blood Experience Video One
Giving Blood Experience Video Two

About American Red Cross

For my first blog post, I thought I would tell you a little bit about the American Red Cross. A women named Clara Barton is credited for the founding of American Red Cross with the help of some of her friends. This happened on May 21, 1881 in Washington D.C. She then led the American Red Cross for twenty-three years after that. Little did this group know that their finding's would have such a positive impact on the entire world especially America.

These people saved millions of lives even when they were alive never mind counting today. In todays' day and age the American Red Cross focuses on care in five critical areas.
These areas are:
People affected by disasters in America
Support for members of the military and their families
Blood collection, processing, and distributing
Health and safety education and training
International relief and development
Their mission statement is " The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors."
The American Red Cross is here to help people. American Red Cross is always there for people when needed.
This article shows the American Red Cross getting ready to help with the most recent disaster of hurricane Matthew.

redcross.org