Environmental Progress - Spring 2001

In-House Blood Drive Rated Big Success

Veterans and 89 new donors roll up sleeves to give "the gift of life"

For roughly two decades, a dedicated coterie of IEPA employees have served as donors for the Central Illinois Blood Bank based in Springfield. They've regularly gone to the Bank and made deposits. They've responded, as well, to emergency calls in times of community or personal crisis.

The training room was a busy place all day.

On March 27, the Agency opened its doors to CIBB for its first in-house collection. During an eight hour collection period, 157 volunteers presented themselves at a large scale collection center set up in what is normally a training room. By the day's end, 129 units of blood had been donated and 89 first time donors had been enrolled.

Cherie Sexton-Young, director of donor resources for the CIBB, later said the event was "probably the most successful drive we've conducted recently. It was just outstanding."

The Central Illinois Blood Bank provides blood for three hospitals in Springfield as well as hospitals in Jacksonville, Taylorville, Carlinville, Carrollton, Pittsfield and Hillsboro.

"That's one of the things donors appreciate," Sexton-Young said. "The blood they're giving stays in this area to help not only their families, friends and co-workers but neighbors they may not have met in communities around Springfield."

The discrepancy between the numbers of would-be donors and units of blood collected reflect some individuals who, after preliminary screening, were classified as unable to give blood on the day of the drive. In most cases, the decision probably reflected a temporary condition -- an infection or a low iron level reading -- Sexton-Young said, adding that these same individuals could probably be successful donors as soon as the temporary impediments cleared up.

Donors and volunteers received tee-shirts commemorating their participation in the drive, and were "rewarded" after their donations with home-baked cookies contributed by Agency volunteers as well as orange juice provided by CIBB.

Ann Cross, in the Bureau of Land, chairman of the blood drive committee, thanked fellow-employee donors for making the collection an outstanding success. She also thanked the volunteers who worked on registration and operations on the day of the drive, and those who brought cookies. "We couldn't have done it without the help of all of them," she said. Given the success of the drive, organizers hope to make it an annual event.