Saturday,
July 5, 2003
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Mennonites offer ‘gift of life’
By SARAH ROHRER
Goshen College Saturday, July 5, 2003
Beth Parmer, senior recruitment representative for the American Red Cross, is aware of the need in the city for fresh supplies of useable blood. “We’ve been struggling here in Atlanta for the past three weeks,” Parmer said, adding that less than 2.5 percent of eligible Atlantans donate their blood. The blood drive was originally scheduled only for Sunday and Monday, but a national shortage of blood prompted the Red Cross to ask for donations on Friday as well. Seventy-three people each offered about an hour of their time and a pint blood between 1 and 6 p.m. yesterday. Blood donation takes only about 7 to 12 minutes. The first visitor to the Red Cross booth, youth sponsor Christine Hildebrant of Salem, Ore., was also a first-time blood donor. She said she wanted to “prompt youth” to give of themselves. Matt Horst of Lancaster, Pa., also donated blood for the first time yesterday. He said, “I was so scared, but I was fine. Everyone should just give blood.” Loretta Wiens of Newton, Kan., gave blood for the 45th time yesterday. Wiens said she gives blood because there is “so much need for it” and it makes her “feel better physically.” The Red Cross exceeded its goal of gathering 33 pints of blood: convention-goers gave more than 60 pints on Friday and hopes to get 460 more people to donate blood tomorrow and Monday when the Red Cross continues its blood drive from 1 to 6 p.m. in A-Junction (the booth is located behind Ten Thousand Villages). Healthy individuals who are age 17 and older are eligible to give blood, and the Red Cross encourages those interested to sign up for appointments. Why donate blood? Not only is the need great, the time required short and the impact significant, the reward is sweet. Said Tyler Zook, a youth from Lancaster, Pa., “You get free cookies when you’re done.”  |
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