RE/MAX, a local realty office on Stoneridge Mall Road, held a blood drive August 1 as emotional support for one of their agents who was recently diagnosed with a blood related cancer.
“We had 58 donors and we collect 34 units of blood,” said Roxanne Cline, office administrator and organizer of the event, in reference to the turnout at the RE/MAX office in Pleasanton. “Simultaneously, at our Danville office, we had 18 volunteers and 16 units donated.”
The donations went to Blood Centers of the Pacific (BCP), a community-based, non-profit blood bank that distributes blood across Northern California to hospitals and for medical research. BCP made planning the drive really easy, Cline said.
“They sent out a big air conditioned bus, with a full staff of nurses who were able to take 4-5 donors at a time,” she added.
Cline also sent out internal e-mails throughout the company and posted flyers. The agents, and friends and family of agents, all showed their support.
Yet, while the blood collected last Tuesday exemplifies compassion and service to a greater cause, BCP, along with other blood banks in the surrounding area, are experiencing an extreme shortage of blood with the passing summer months.
In a June 15, 2006 news article linked on BCP’s Web site, titled “Bay Area supplies critically low,” BCP said it would be rationing blood given to the 41 hospitals it serves and has put those hospitals on notice that there might not be enough available blood for procedures requiring large amounts of Type O.
Similarly, the American Red Cross, Northern California Blood Services Region has recognized the high demand for regular blood donors during the summer months when families go on vacation and students are not attending school.
The American Red Cross applauded the many wonderful students of the Bay Area who participated in blood drives throughout the 2005-2006 school year. Collecting more than 6,000 pints of blood during 117 blood drives at 69 high schools throughout Northern California, including Pleasanton’s Foothill High School, the organization estimated that over 18,000 people have been given a second chance at life as a result of these school-wide drives, for each pint of blood donated can help three people.
The Red Cross hopes that students will remember that donating blood is a compassionate and rewarding activity, and one they will continue to do throughout their lives.
“Our goal is to make them life-long donors because only 2 to 3 percent of eligible Bay Area residents donate blood. Nationwide, the average is closer to 5 percent,” said Chief Executive Officer, Jay Winkenbach, of the American Red Cross, Northern California Blood Services Region.
“High school and college blood drives account for less than 9 percent of the mobile blood drives we do, yet these students provide over 10 percent of the blood needed in the Bay Area,” Winkenbach added.
As the population lives longer everyday, new medical advances require more and more blood be donated, including the vital necessity to help accident victims, premature babies, cancer patients, organ recipients and numerous others.
While blood banks do not have enough blood to supply local hospitals during this slow period, BCP and the American Red Cross encourage anyone who is eligible to visit their local blood banks.
For more information, visit the Pleasanton American Red Cross, located between the JC Penney Home Store and Cost Plus at 5556-B Springdale Ave. For any questions or concerns, call (800) GIVE-LIFE or visit www.HelpSaveALife.org. Contact BCP at (888)-393-GIVE and visit its Web site, www.bloodcenters.org.
