Last night I sat at a table outside the gymnasium of our middle school from 8:00 to 9:00, recruiting donors for the district wide PTA blood drive in January. I was impressed to see the number of voters who kept arriving at that late hour, and even the last few stragglers after 8:50. I performed a valuable service which I hadn't anticipated: I was able to direct many people to the voting booths as they wandered down the hall cluelessly.
I asked people to help our cause as they were headed out of the gym. We filled up the pledge sheet, which was great. It was encouraging to hear from the few people who told me they go over to Long Island Blood Services to donate regularly, as I do, and from the handful of people who said that they donate blood at work. I was particularly touched by a conversation I had with an older gentleman who said he'd love to help but he takes Coumadin (an anticoagulant). He promised to ask his wife and other family members to donate in his place, and he thanked me for volunteering my time. He didn't say so, but I wonder whether he has received donor blood in the past. A couple of other people praised me for supporting a positive community effort.
Although it was late, and I was tired at the thought of folding laundry and doing other chores once I arrived home, I had a nice fuzzy feeling when I walked out through the double doors in the front of the school building.
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