Staff Writer
LIMESTONE – The Loring Job Corps Center held their semi-annual blood drive on Tuesday, Dec. 16 from 9:00 – 3:00. About 120 individuals, about 115 of them being Loring Job Corps students, had signed up to donate blood. It was also expected that members of the community would also come to donate blood on a walk-in basis.
Volunteers of the blood drive included, in no particular order, Ashley Hodgkins, Tim Wright, Justin Guerrette, Tremaine Newton, David Pryor, Natizia Duarte, Corey Ramos, Andrea Trantham, Kara Dewley, Holly Stanfield, Larissa Andrade, and Medical Support instructor at Job Corps Julie Blackstone.
“Blood drives have been traditionally something that we’ve done for the past five years,” said Julie Blackstone, a Medical Support instructor at the Loring Job Corps Center. “The blood drives are normally very successful; we usually have a donor goal of 80 pints of good blood, and we’ve always either met our surpassed our goal. The biggest challenge has always been getting enough Red Cross staff so that everyone can donate,” Blackstone added.
Good blood refers to blood that is usable by the Red Cross; donors that have low iron or other medical issues may be deferred.
Though the phlebotomy was done entirely by the Red Cross, medical office support and certified nursing assistant students at job corps volunteered their time to make the event run smoothly.
“Our students and staff all like the fact that it’s a chance to give back to the community, but it’s also a chance for them to display their job skills,” Blackstone said, “they’re registering people, they’re talking one on one with the donors, which are like clients of the work places they’ll be working at, so it’s a good chance for them to give back to the community and volunteer. A lot of them wouldn’t have the opportunity to do this back home,” she added.
“Once you’ve finish your vocations and are ready to complete your program, you need ten hours of community service,” said Larissa Andrade, 17, from New Bedford Massachusetts. Andrade has been a CNA and medical support student at Job Corps for almost a year.
“Community service means giving something back to the area that gave so much,” Andrade said, “and the community here has helped me get my education.”
“I’ve always wanted to participate in something like this,” she added, “I like seeing that people actually like to help save other people lives and knowing that I’m a part of saving lives because I give blood too.”
Limestone resident and medical office support student Holly Stanfield also volunteered at the blood drive. Stanfield has been with Loring Job Corps for a few months, and this was her first time volunteering at a blood drive
“I love to volunteer,” Stanfield said, “and it’s good work experience.”
Even though there was a slight wait to donate blood, participants seemed happy and cooperative.
“People should give blood because one pint of blood can save three peoples lives,” Andrade said, “once you do it, you’re going to want to do it again because it’s something that you can feel proud of.”
Job Corps student Angela Hamel of Ft. Fairfield donated blood on Tuesday, Dec 16th.
Thomas Goodwin, shown here donating blood, was one of two student coordinators for the blood drive.
