Hurricane Katrina

[Wetzel]

Blood banks around the country are sending blood to the area, even while they are critically low themselves. I know in Northern Virginia, Inova Blood Donor Services, our major blood supplier has less than a days supply on hand of almost all blood types. Blood banks in New Orleans and in most places throughout the country are in a similar state. Less then 5% of the eligible population actually donates on a regular basis.

Tragedy strikes everywhere, help your community to be prepared. For most donation services, you only need to get 50 people signed up to host a blood drive. Teams that have space for a field have the room needed for a drive. You can use it as part of a team/Red Cross fundraiser in addition to getting blood. Get people to sponsor a donor much like a walk-a-thon with the procedes going to the team/a team support fund for the New Orleans area/whomever you want.


Wetzel

[nehalita]

Our school has a blood drive on Sept 6 and I'm pushing to be able to give blood then (I had open heart surgery as a child so I have to check with my doctor)

Also members of our team are thinking of starting a clothes drive. I have so many shirts in my closet that I probably don't need and I probably donate clothes about 4-5 times a year -- this time though, I'll really clean it out good. Everyone has a shirt or two to donate, and I'm sure the SALVATION ARMY can handle these big loads -- especially now. It'd be great to get other teams into this and start clothes drives with their own teams and at their own schools.

Finally, in my art class, my art teacher is holding a money drive and she promised to match what we give. Just yesterday she collected 106 dollars -- just from students who had extra money that they didn't need, and that was through 4 periods in the day! It's not hard to donate some spare change -- maybe hold the dessert next time and donate that money to charity. Even if it's a little, it counts.

Sitting through the mildest part of Hurricane Katrina, I cannot even imagine what people went through in mississippi, louisiana, and alabama. They need our help in every way possible, it's our duty to stand up to that.