With April being National Volunteer Month, Red Cross Donor Recruiter Kyle Jensen likes to recognize the people that keep the blood pumping, either workers or donors.
For the upcoming April 15 blood drive, a certain name caught his eye: Jim Bulkley.
"I always like to try to recognize donors and volunteers through this month," Jensen said. "He is a good donor with all that he does do and then has time to still come in and donate," Jensen said.
For the April 15 drive at the Columbus Fire Department, Jensen thought bringing the mayor on board as a sort of celebrity endorsement would be a great way to drum up interest.
Bulkley agreed.
"If me having my name on a flier saying 'come give blood' helps, that's wonderful," Bulkley said. "I've always thought it was something neat to do. There's a need there and you hear the stories of people needing blood so they're always asking."
People are also reading…
The need is pretty much constant, Jensen said, as blood does not last very long. The Red Cross tries to bring in around 14,000 units of blood a day, organization-wide. The Columbus area donations have been a little low in recent months due to the movement and cancellation of some mobile and weekend drives, Jensen said, so they appreciate any donations or promotion.
"The shelf life is only about 42 days, so there's always a constant need making sure there's blood on the shelf for hospitals and patients," Jensen said. "It's definitely an easy way to give back."
If one is considering donating, Jensen said a good way to really see the impact is to talk to someone who has had a transfusion.
"Talk to a family member or friend or somebody that's personally received blood or given a lot of donations, having that story why to donate definitely helps," Jensen said. "Having them give a reason why personally and say 'why not take time to go be a part of saving a life?' You might save somebody you know or even yourself."
The blood drive is on Monday, April 15 at the Columbus Fire Department, 4630 Howard Blvd., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit redcrossblood.org to schedule a time for your donation.