Season of Giving: Indiana Blood Center

In the month of December, I'm going to feature various groups that help those in need (that means I'm posting twice a day!!). I'm not always doing fundraising for them- just bringing attention to groups that I think do important work or may need help. Perhaps you will feel the urge to connect to that group or find something similar in your area that you can volunteer your time and talents. Perhaps you will want to make a donation. Perhaps you will just feel warm and fuzzy knowing that good is being done in the world. See all posts for the Season of Giving ***** Indiana Blood Center Did you know that you can save lives and it doesn't have to cost you a cent? You can support a great cause without donating a dollar. You can donate blood. Well, most of you. Blood donation is something near and dear to someone who is near and dear to me. I've tried to donate blood on many occassions in her honor. Christy is a regular blood donor. In fact, she typically donates platelets instead of whole blood. I had a big old fear of needles that kept me from trying to donate. In high school, I attempted to donate at a blood drive and was borderline anemic and couldn't donate. Between those 2 things, I kept away from the blood donation opportunities. I finally bucked up and decided to make an attempt at donation as a gift to Christy around her birthday a couple of years ago. Turns out, I'm still borderline anemic. Even if I take iron pills, it doesn't seem to bump me up that point or 2. I go back and try from time to time but have yet to pass the initial test. Which is all the more reason why you should donate your blood to your local blood center- to make up for those of us who want to but can't. Scared of needles? Don't be. You barely feel it (going through pregnancy and labor and delivery means getting a lot of blood drawn over the course of those 9 months). Close your eyes and relax. These people are sticking needles into arms all day long- they're pros. People who are good and experienced at drawing blood tend to be pretty pain free in their process. And it goes quickly. And it is a very small amount of discomfort for you that ends up being a literal lifesaver for someone else. Since I can't donate and I'm asking you to go donate, I feel like there should still be something else I can do. I was perusing the website to see if there is a place where I could donate money, perhaps. Or find an idea of what I could do for the Blood Center in lieu of donating blood. And I think I found it. I'm going to send an e-mail to my favorite pastors at my church (we have 2) and see if we can host a blood drive at our church. In this Season of Giving, remember that not all giving requires money. You can give the most life sustaining fluid by donating blood.