A Pint of Kindness: Answering the Call to Donate Blood
(Photo Credit: Licensed stock image)
As National Blood Donor Month is recognized this January, the need for blood donations is urgent across the country, and several local organizations are working to tackle the problem.
According to Jonathan McNamara, communications director for the American Red Cross of Virginia, a number of factors have contributed to a recent decrease in donations. These include weather-related events and an uptick in flu and COVID cases that has led to appointment no-shows by contagious individuals, as well as a smaller pool of healthy, eligible donors overall.
Combined with an increase in vacations and travel as restrictions have loosened, the American Red Cross faced a 20 percent reduction in blood drive turnout during the winter holiday season.
McNamara emphasized that since donated blood is shipped and utilized throughout the country to assist localities facing a crisis, the need for donations crosses county and state lines.
“We bring blood from all over the country to assist Orange County patients who are being treated,” McNamara said, “but also, donors in Orange County play a significant role in making sure patients at places like UVA and Sentara have blood, as well as supporting other people across the country.”
As the need continues, organizations throughout Orange County are holding regular blood drives and encouraging both new and former donors to attend. At Orange Presbyterian Church, blood drives are held the first Thursday of each alternating month starting with January.
Joanna Davies organizes the drives and says that her church sees the events as an important part of its mission to serve the community.
“There’s a constant need,” Davies explained. “We like to have our building being used since it’s a big and beautiful facility, and to have someone doing something good for humanity in there is a great thing.”
On a local level, Davies shared that the church also has noticed somewhat of a reduction in donations, with average blood drive turnout down to approximately 30 people from a previous average of 50.
“We used to have a lot of the older veterans especially give blood, and we’d like to see more of the younger people start to come out, too,” Davies said.
The next blood drive at Orange Presbyterian Church will take place March 2 from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Those who wish to donate are asked to register online in advance.
For those who live closer to the eastern end of the county or would like to donate sooner, the Lake of the Woods (LOW) Lions Club holds blood drives the fourth Tuesday of every other month, with the next event taking place January 24 from noon to 6 p.m. in the LOW Community Center. The drive is open to all and accepts walk-ins, but pre-registration is encouraged as space is limited.
Ginny Ball serves as coordinator for the LOW blood drives. As a former nurse, Ball is used to dealing with nervous patients, and she encourages potential donors who might have anxiety about giving to start at a group event where they can feel supported.
Her advice? “Come out one time, get to socialize and see how it makes you feel.”
Finally, for those who want to do some good while having a good time, one organization takes the cake: Avis Beasley Community Outreach Group. The nonprofit holds a blood drive each fall through Virginia Blood Services, complete with music, barbecue and lots of fun. Keep an eye out in the coming months for details about this year’s event.
To register for the American Red Cross blood drives at Orange Presbyterian Church or Lake of the Woods, visit www.redcross.org. For more information regarding Avis Beasley Community Outreach Group programs, visit www.avisbcommunityoutreach.com.