The mission of the Red Cross is to provide hospitals, patients and communities with the safest, most reliable, most cost-effective blood, plasma and tissue services through voluntary donations. Our blood drives provide the donors.

On behalf of the Red Cross and everyone who has found themselves in need of blood, I thank you for your generous lifesaving blood donation. I invite everyone to experience the joy of true heroism - be a blood donor!

-Charlie Shikany

There are two kinds of blood drive volunteers: the donors and the workers. The donors need no special skills; they only need the desire to help their fellow man by spending one hour of their time in donating a pint of their blood. It costs nothing but could save someone's life. The human body replaces all components of the donation in less than a month.

The workers include phone callers, cookie bakers, truck off-loaders and loaders, furniture movers, registration desk workers, canteen workers, donation facilitators, and a clown. Except for the clown, little special training is needed. Training is done on the job. Over 150 people have volunteered to be workers.

While we have a large base of volunteers (over 450 different donors in the past two years and 150 workers) the need is so great that there is never enough (only 5% of the medically eligible donors actually give). DO THE RIGHT THING AND BECOME PART OF THE BLOOD DRIVE AS A DONOR if medically possible or at least as a worker.

Blood Donor Questions & Answers

Q: How often can I give?

• Donors are eligible to give every 56 days.

Q. How old must I be/are there any age restrictions?

• In Missouri, you must be 17 yeas of age (16 in Illinois with parental permission). There is no age limit. Rather, the general health of the potential donor is the prime consideration.

Q: I recently traveled outside the U.S. - does this make a difference; am I still eligible to donate?

• Having traveled will not prevent you from donating but WHERE you traveled may. This will be reviewed and evaluated prior to donation. Cumulative time spent in the United Kingdom equaling three months or more since 1980 will prevent you from giving (mad cow disease) as will cumulative time spent in most of Europe (including the United Kingdom) equaling six months or more since 1980. The mad cow disease issue is but one example of the complexities surrounding travel. The Red Cross will screen your travel history prior to donation.

Q: Is it safe to give blood?

• You cannot contract an infectious disease, including AIDS by donating blood. The needles and supplies are sterile, used only once and then safely discarded, so there is no chance of infection.
  After a donation, it takes just a few hours for the body to replace the volume of plasma lost. Platelets are restored in a few days, and the body compensates by increasing red cell production until normal levels return in a few weeks.

Q: How long will it take?

• The blood donation itself takes about 15-20 minutes. The whole process from start to finish takes about one hour, including 10 minutes in the canteen where you will be served refreshments.

Q: Is child care available?

• At Incarnate Word, we have a special table set up for children where refreshments are served and a large screen TV plays children's movies. A clown often shows up for face painting and balloon art.

Q: Where is the blood drive held?

• The blood drive is held in the church hall.

Q: What are the hours?

• The hours are from 7 AM until 1 PM on designated Saturdays.

Blood Drive Volunteers Questions & Answers

Q: Do I need special skills?

• Not unless you want to be a clown (to entertain the children).

Q: Do I need to work or donate at each blood drive?

• Not unless you want to. Even Vince Bruns missed one drive because of a trip. You work or donate when you can, but don't lightly hold yourself excused - the need is too great!

Q: How often are the drives held?

• Three times a year: late January, mid-May and mid-September.

Q: How long do I need to work?

• That depends on the job. Canteen workers, registration workers, and donation facilitators work a two-hour shift. Phone callers spend about 2-3 hours making calls over a 2-3 week period of time. Off-loaders and loaders spend about 1 hour each as do furniture movers.

Q: Is there a schedule?

• There is no schedule. Each blood drive is handled on an availability basis.

Q: Who contacts me?

• Lori Tanner contacts the donation facilitators, Connie Winter contacts the registration workers, and Maureen Gardiner contacts the canteen workers. Vince Bruns contacts phone callers (who call the potential donors) and other workers.

Q: Can I work with a friend or relative?

• Sure - just let us know what you would like to do!

Q: Do you have the dates of any upcoming blood drives?

• Yes - September 16, 2006 and January 20, 2007.