I have been a blood donor for decades, and for the last five years I have been donating platelets. I see this as my way of giving back to my community. Many of us know of someone who has needed blood in an emergency and who is alive today because someone donated their blood. When our Auburn Unitarian Universalist Society Board of Directors was trying to identify ways we could provide a benefit to the Auburn community, the idea of a blood drive came to me and we all agreed it may become an annual event.

The need for blood is constant, and blood drives offer an easy opportunity for members of the community to be of service. We also consider this event an ideal way for our members to make new connections with the public and a way for the public to see that we are willing and eager to offer our assistance to the community. Every 30 seconds, someone is in serious need of blood. The Red Cross is continuously taking blood donations to meet the demand, but emergencies frequently tax the system. This is just one element of their work. They also provide support to victims of fires, natural disasters and other life-threatening events. Every eight minutes, the American Red Cross responds to an emergency, and 90 percent of Red Cross workers are volunteers.