It was a cold winter day, with the snow falling softly to the ground, and the sun trying to peek through the winter storm. All this calmness and to top it off being greeted at my office by 6 kind hearted souls, one by one, the American Red Cross Team, were settling in with all their goods in a conference room at building 448 on Friday November 30th, 2007. Teamwork is an incredibly strong point of the American Red Cross. How else could a mobile blood drive run so smoothly? Each person had their role to play and each person clearly loved what they were doing. The comfort they gave to each blood donor was an incredible gesture.

This was my first blood drive, which had been in the making for just a couple short months and turned out to be a great success. One Gift, One Life and a whole lot of Gratitude and One by one each blood donor made their way to the donor room. Some reluctant, some eager, me on the other hand, every time I give blood I get my nerves all worked up to where my head becomes a little cloudy. Yeah, you know that feeling? I know some of you do. Where you feel like you have suddenly taken flight to the nearest floating cloud in the sky?

Beforehand I had made the decision to donate towards the end of the blood drive, that way everybody that signed up could stick to their appointments. It was actually quite funny because some of my donors which were, friends, family, lenders, title and colleagues were quite disturbed by the fact that I hadn’t donated yet. In fact a couple of them said, “I’m not leaving here until I see you hooked up”. Did they actually think I was going to putz out on them? Never! I just didn't want them to see me in flight to that floating cloud in the sky and my main concern was to make sure they each had water and treats and of course a big hug and a thank you.

My goal was to have 30 donors and being just 4 shy of having 30 sign up, it ended up being that 14 total donated. Even if only 1 donated “that was 1 more pint of blood than there was when the American Red Cross came in”. What a wise statement that was by Nancy, who was in charge of the American Red Cross team.

Nobody passed out, nobody became sick, and yes I did donate. On top of it I learned some interesting information that I didn’t know before:

* You can donate every 2 months (56 days)
* You burn up to 4,000 calories by donating blood. (Too tired to workout at the gym today? Go to your local American Red Cross, kick back in a chair and spend the next 30 minutes donating)
* You clean out your blood system and regenerate healthy blood each time you donate. (You are not only helping another person, but you are also making your body more healthy)
* If you drink alcohol, it will absorb into your blood stream much quicker after donating. (So do yourself a favor, slow down and don’t drink too much after donating)

Also keep in mind that there are so many reasons to give blood and so many causes for the need of blood that it makes it so easy to take that first step in making a difference.

Are you considering holding your own blood drive? Feel free to call me at anytime and I will help you get started in the right direction. The American Red Cross will walk you through the process step by step once you get everything scheduled with your recruiter. Soon you will find yourself feeling completely uplifted by the experience of giving back.

Thank You to all the wonderful people who took the time out of their busy day to support me in my blood drive and above all, for making a difference for another human beings life. You are all such giving souls. Nette, Ounmany, JC, Mike, Nate, Stephanie, Nate K, Joe, Melanie, Curtis,Toby, Carlos, and Nichole.

Written and Posted By: Julie Neerings, GRI- Heart of Utah Real Estate Copyright © 2007- Julie Neerings, GRI
Julie Neerings, Exit Realty Unlimited, is a Utah Realtor® who specializes along the Wasatch Front, from Ogden to Provo. To find out more information about her real estate services please visit her profile . You are welcome to contact her by phone at 801-859-9381/801-506-0305 or by email at JulieNeerings@yahoo.com . You can click to view her listings or visit her website. Thank you for your visit.