Local Blood Drive Good 'Till The Last Drop

In keeping with holiday season's mantra of giving, the New York Blood Center recently held a blood drive in Massapequa's Bar Harbor library, encouraging local residents to give the most important gift of all: life.

"We host blood drives here about three times a year," said Patricia Page, the library's director. "We seem to get a pretty good response."

Sam Rawson has been a regular donor for years, something he is quite proud of.

"I have a rare blood type," he said. "They called me up recently and said, 'You know that blood you got? You just saved three people yesterday.' By that alone, I felt good by doing that."

To Page, offering the blood drive at the library is just another way for them to become closer with local residents.

"We like to do something that serves the community," she said. "The blood drive is so important, and we just like to get involved with the community as much as we can."

Susan Callis of the New York Blood Center said that her organization faces an uphill battle each and every day.

"The Blood Center has to collect 1,200 to 1,400 pints of blood a day to supply the area," she said. "But the amount we actually collect varies from day to day."

According to Callis, hitting the streets for donors is one way to make sure the Blood Center meets it's life-saving quotas.

"It's a very good thing for us to visit all the communities like we do here," she said. "It's a way to reach out, come to people, and make it most convenient."

Bill de Lyra was resting up at the snack table after having his blood drawn.

"I'm a regular donor," he said. "I have a rare blood, A-Negative, so I like to give that as much as I can."

Callis credited library employee Lee Gundel for his hard work in getting people to pledge in this day's blood drive.

"This gentleman here has taken the time and trouble of gathering people for us," she said. "So we just come, set up the equipment, and work."

Gundel helped coordinate the library's publicity for the blood drive, doing his best to get the word out to residents.

"We put it in our newsletter," he said. "We did flyers, sent notices out about it in email, and put signs up in the community."

Giving appears to be in John Shedd's nature. In addition to blood, in his spare time he works as a volunteer driver for the Veteran's Association.

"I'm a multiple donor...I donate all the time," he said. "I give platelets usually, which are used to treat patients with cancer, but today I'm just donating blood."

Callis said that if anyone is interested in hosting a blood drive, they can contact the New York Blood Center via their website to set it up.

"They can ask to speak to the recruiting department," she said. "They would go over what needs to be done and how many people need to pledge, and then we staff the blood drive accordingly."

Marilyn Chapman claims to have given blood more times that she can count. Her desire to give blood is fueled by a spiritual source.

"I do it because it's the most Christ-like thing I can do," she said. "Christ died on the cross, shed his blood for me...this is the least I can do for him."