Taking It To the Streets

We had a blood drive today in the parking lot of my office. It went off fairly well. I was hoping for a lot of people from the area to come besides my coworkers, but we only had one young man. Initially I also had several members of management signed up, one even coming from our Connecticut office, but at the last moment a big meeting was planned in Indianapolis. But overall it was a good turn out.

I organized and planned the whole thing.

We had three people get sick, which scared a few others from joining in the giving. We have a staff that doesn’t come in until noon. This consists mostly of college age kids and they tend to wake up moments before works starts and rushing in before they get hit with a tardy. Needless to say food doesn’t enter their system until their first break.

It was these folks who became rather ill what from the loss of blood, the no food, and of course the stifling heat. I’ve never been in a blood mobile that was so hot. The bus was on its last leg and one of the AC units had died.

It was quite a thing seeing the Red Cross folks in action. My friend Lindsay was first to get sick and she simply muttered “I feel nauseous” and the whole team was upon her with wet towels, barf buckets, sugary snacks and the lifting of her legs.

I stayed for the run dispensing snacks, beverages and t-shirts.

I must say it feels rather good to have organized an event that literally will save lives. I suppose the Christians real duty is towards the saving of souls, but it is a good thing to help the bodies as well. For people won’t care what you have to say about their souls if you neglect their physical needs now.