Donations That Cost Nothing But a Little Time
Donations that cost nothing but a little time
Does it seem like every day you are asked to donate to another charity? If we only had the resources to support every worthy cause, it would be easier to deal with the solicitations. Here’s a valuable way to contribute to the community without spending any money and expending very little time: Donate Blood through your local blood bank! Your reward will be some yummy snacks following your donation, a feeling of having done something to help the community, and occasionally a special bonus reward depending on what sort of promotion might be happening at the time you donate.
I recently completed my third donation this year, after a hiatus of several years in making donations. It only took an hour from beginning to end. My actual time in the donation chair was about 15 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised by current donation arrangements available through Bloodworks Northwest, our local blood bank, which serves 90 hospitals in the Pacific Northwest.
When I mentioned to a neighbor that I was donating blood, he got a confused look on his face and asked me why I would want to do that. To me it was obviously a good thing to do, so his comment made me try to articulate why I thought that. The first thing that came to mind was that I was celebrating the fact that I was in good health and eligible to donate. So many people have health histories and current conditions that prevent them from donating, that I feel grateful to be able to help. I was prompted to donate at this time because most of the worry about COVID has passed, I learned that a mobile donation site was located just a few blocks from home, and, since I had not done any international travel recently, I would not run the risk of being excluded due to the destinations I had traveled to.
After my first donation this year, I discovered that Bloodworks Northwest has an informative website: https://bloodworksnw.org/about. As a donor you can set up your own account, which will not only keep track of your donation history, it will also provide a record of test results from the days you donated: blood pressure, temperature, pulse, iron count, platelet count, and weight.
What prompted me to resume donating? I read an announcement from the City of Kirkland that they were having a blood drive at city hall. I was able to check the details on the Bloodworks Northwest website and saw that numerous dates and times were available for donations. I also noticed there were lots of other locations nearby that were options as well, but I felt most comfortable going to city hall. I was very familiar with the location after having spent many hours there while I was on the city planning commission.
Donors are required to complete a lengthy questionnaire on the day of their donation. That and the finger prick for testing the blood are the most annoying aspects of donating. However, the questionnaire is now available for completion online before coming to the donation site, or you can complete it when you come in. The finger prick isn’t really a big deal. However, I prefer not to think about it.
Someone asked me how I got started as a blood donor. It began when I was a college Freshman at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. The school held a blood drive and our dorm advisor encouraged each of us to donate. I can’t say I was enthusiastic to participate but I wanted to help support the campus drive. That experience got me started and I continued to donate as a student and then as an employed adult. I haven’t been totally consistent with my participation. Health issues, travel, and a busy schedule have sometimes put the idea of donating out of my mind. Publicity about the city blood drive brought me back. Whole blood donations can be made every 8 weeks and now Bloodworks Northwest will continue to remind me when it’s time to return. So long as my health holds out, I expect to be donating several times a year.
While it may seem a little silly to get electronic awards for donating, I’ll share a few I have received recently:
The holidays are a time when there is an increased need for donors, since many people are too busy to come in. Consider contacting your local blood bank and scheduling your holiday time donation. If you’re in the Seattle area, use this link to find a donation site close to your zip code area: https://donate.bloodworksnw.org/donor/schedules/geo.
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