The Gift of Life

Today the Red Cross came to town for their quarterly blood drive. I'm always surprised by the number of people who turn out for the event. There are business people, U.S. Forest Service folks, retirees and, of course, educators. The favored time slot for school employees is between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. because most of us are finished at school around that time, or can get out early for an occasion like this. Since people are creatures of habit we often see the same people there at the same times from drive to drive (the 4:15 slot is my personal favorite!).

A plethora of retirees volunteer to keep the donors moving, organized and fed once our blood is drawn and local businesses often donate food for the cause (very popular for the school employees who are always hungry!).

This spirit of giving helps everyone. Genes, the blood technician who drew my blood today, reminded me that each unit of blood given can save 3 lives. Over a lifetime that adds up; I am approaching the 6-gallon mark and many donors have given even more. What an easy way to help someone in a life or death situation! Of course it doesn't hurt that there are usually homemade cookies on hand for donors and volunteers. It is a win-win situation.

So it is with OEA. The vast majority of our leaders are volunteers who work tirelessly trying to do something positive for members and communities. For our efforts we sometimes get the satisfaction of knowing that we made a difference for another member or for a student. It feels great to give!