by Angela Woon, Communications Specialist, red velvet cake enthusiast, salsa dancer, hero

Ever watched the movie, “The Bucket List?” It’s about two unlikely characters whose paths cross in a hospital and the only common bond they share is their terminal illness. Sparking up a friendship, they decide to do all the things they’ve ever wanted to do before they die.

While that movie wasn’t one of my favorites, I loved what it stood for, and felt inspired to whip up my own bucket list albeit a tamer version.

I’ve never been athletically-inclined (read: last one picked for sports teams in school) and hardly a daredevil, so being the next Roz Savage, attempting a bungee jump or climbing Mt. Everest isn’t exactly high on the priority list.

The Japanese have a proverb that says, “We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.” I took that literally to heart and enrolled in a salsa dance class. I stepped on more than a few toes, made a fool of myself, and while I might still be the last girl to get picked to dance at a salsa club, at least I can now proudly check it off my list.

#68 - Try Red Velvet Cake. Been there done that, and about 100 times over and still counting.

I’ve tried that Senegalese restaurant that received good reviews, tasted salty licorice and loved it, tasted durian and hated it, backpacked, hiked, traveled several countries, walked across the Golden Gate bridge, dipped my feet in the Pacific Ocean, ate watermelon on top of Half Dome, seen Okapi, oh and course, #34 - made a noise no one has ever done before...at Grand Canyon National Park.

A few more things on my list: save lives, make someone smile, do something good. Those were easy a piece of cake! And all accomplished in about an hour! No, I didn’t rush into a burning house to save lives or climb up a tree to save a stranded cat (please read third paragraph about not being athletically-inclined). I donated blood. And guess what? With a pint of blood, I saved not one, not two but three lives! And likely made some people smile. A triple whammy on my bucket list with one simple action!

Some foods may not be for your tastebuds, some activities not to your physical abilities or liking, but hey, saving lives through blood donation can be on everyone’s (if you meet the general requirements) bucket list…and regularly repeated ! Carpe diem - save as many lives as you can!

Next on my to-do-list: travel to India, hike Machu Picchu, read Don Quixote, nosh at more restaurants, eat more red velvet cake AND save even more lives through blood donation.

What’s on your bucket list?

(image credit)

What’s your job title? And what do you do?
I am the Hospital Services Supervisor and I guarantee a high level of internal/external customer service is practiced in the department. My job also includes training, scheduling, counseling and performance evaluations for dispensers and drivers. In addition, I monitor blood component inventory and manage outdates, as well as inspect and communicate with hospitals to ensure all service-related issues are addressed and remedied.

Describe your typical day at work.
I start the day at the desk taking and filling morning blood component needs. This gives me great insight into what our hospitals need and I take this to the morning meeting. There is a lot of paperwork to review, training to facilitate and projects to keep me busy and out of trouble.

What do you like best/most about your job?
The wonderful people I work with, of course. There is a variety of experience, strengths, and challenges that makes us such a well-balanced team.

What are the challenges? How do you overcome them?
The hardest thing for me is trying to keep on top of everything that comes my way on a daily basis. Organization and flexibility is the key to the madness. I have a great support system and everyone is very patient with me, so I feel confident that I will establish a better working system with time.

How long have you worked at BCP?
I started in the Components Lab in 2007, moved to Technical Operations - Quality Control at the end of 2007 and then transferred to Hospital Services in 2009.

Thanks you Dena for all of your hard work to make sure the hospitals we serve have the blood they need to keep saving lives! We’re so glad to have you!

Similarly, at the Redwood City Center (RCC), there are some people who donate blood only on Tuesdays for that very same reason. They enjoy talking to Jayne Bloom.

I don’t like this weather. I am sure if you live in San Francisco, you’ve heard enough squawking about it from everyone else that you don’t need me to chime in. But I am still going to anyway, because my friends have turned a deaf ear to my complaints.This weather plain stinks! Boots, sweaters and coats in “summer” just don’t cut it for me, especially when I hear of my buddies on the east coast complaining about the heat.

So, I am planning my great escape. Ah….palm trees swaying in the warm breeze, feeling the sun’s rays as I lay on the beach sipping my cool coconut juice. I can almost hear the sun beckoning me. I want to wipe that salty sweat off my brow and show off my pedicured toenails in my flip-flops. That’s what life is like for me back home. Unfortunately, home for me is more than 8,000 miles away in Malaysia. Even after many years in the US, I still get homesick. I not only miss the weather and food, but most acutely, my family. It’s really tough sometimes to be so far from my mummy (yes, I still call her that) and siblings.

I have worked at BCP for a good many years and everyday, I am constantly reminded of just how we should appreciate and cherish our families and loved ones. “Donate blood. You never know when you or someone you love needs it.” strongly resonates with me. I know firsthand what those statements mean. My dad passed away from cancer, my friend’s mother used blood in her battle againstbattled cancer, my friend’s father is sick, my aunt too; sadly, I could go on.

But the list isn’t just limited to my personal life. Through work, there’s many patients I have encountered who’ve used blood. The doting mother whose child needs blood transfusions, the new mother who used hundreds of pints of blood when she met childbirth complications, the husband and father of two who needed blood transfusions and a liver transplant to save his life. I have had the good fortune of meeting many blood donors who’ve shared their personal story on how or why they started donating blood - many do it as a sense of civic duty, but just as many do it simply because they knew of someone who needed it.

The great escape? Won’t happen till December. Until then I will stop squawking about this weather (on the plus side, it saves me money on the pedicures!) and appreciate the warmth of the generosity of the lifesaving heroes who donate blood. That and I hear they are predicting sunshine this weekend!

On June 4th, 2010, after nearly 38 years, Gertrude Stopper retired from the Blood Center. 

Gertrude, a native San Franciscan, moved to Burlingame in 1959 with her husband, Leonard.  After having three children, she began working part-time as a Telephone Recruiter at Peninsula Memorial Blood Bank on July 24th, 1972.  This job entailed calling donors to come into the Center to donate, and her managers lovingly referred to this job as being a “Call Girl”.  In 1976, Management decided they needed a Field Recruiter, someone who would organize Blood Drives in the community, and after being so successful and persuasive on the phones, Gertrude was offered this position.  She fondly recalls starting as a “Call Girl” and then progressing to “Street Walker”!
In 1998, Peninsula Memorial Blood Bank merged with Irwin Blood Center and became known as Blood Centers of the Pacific – Peninsula Center.  When Gertrude began, the blood center only did one blood drive per day and the need was 150 pints daily for seven or eight hospitals—- now as a larger organization, multiple blood drives are run each day and the need is approximately 500 pints for over forty Northern California hospitals. 

When asked about her time at the Blood Center, Gertrude says, “It has been a very rewarding position.  I feel that what I did, and what all the Recruiters do, is important work.  And the Coordinators I worked with have been wonderful.  I hope I have helped save lots of lives in the 38 years I have been employed here!”  In fact, by nearest calculations, over the course of her tenure, Gertrude has been responsible for collecting nearly 200,000 pints of blood, which has helped save the lives of over half a million people!

There is even an award that the Blood Centers of the Pacific created in Gertrude’s honor several years ago:  the “Blood Shortage ‘Stopper’ of the Month” award, presented to the Field Recruiter responsible for obtaining the highest number of pints in their territory during a particular month.  The Reps all agree that it’s quite an honor to win the “Stopper Award”.

Gertrude means a lot to many people and has made many friends along the way.  She has been an integral part of the company’s success for so many years and will be sorely missed by her coworkers, our blood drive coordinators, and donors alike. 

All of us at Blood Centers of the Pacific wish Gertrude much happiness and some well deserved relaxation in her retirement.

“About 3 percent of the parishioners donate blood,” said Bob, blood drive coordinator at Our Lady of Loretto Church, Novato, and a carpenter for the City and County of San Francisco before his retirement. “I want 10 percent and more!”

According to BCP Account Representative Jeanne Nielsen, Our Lady of Loretto Church has been hosting blood drives since 2001. “Bob took over on behalf of the Knights of Columbus in April 2006,” said Jeanne. “He does an amazing job and hosts five to six blood drives a year, averaging about 40 pints at each drive.”

Even though 917 pints of blood have been donated since he became blood drive coordinator, Bob continues to be relentless in his efforts to save even more lives. “You’ve got to make those phone calls to push a little, but not too much,” said the 73-year-old, who was also a blood drive coordinator at San Francisco General Hospital when he worked there from the 1970s through the 90s. “Ask them to bring their friend, neighbor or coworker to the next blood drive.”

To garner more donors, Bob gets prizes donated such as savings bonds and gift certificates or other gifts to raffle off.  On top of that, he also enlists the help of volunteers to call past donors to encourage them to give the gift of life at the next blood drive. Bob also organized a donor appreciation lunch in May for donors who reached at least 25 donations.

In addition to being a blood hero, Bob—married for 50 years with two kids and eight grandchildren—also volunteers at the Indian Valley Associates, a homeowners’ organization, and the Marin Chapter of the California Grand Jurors Association as well as the Knights of Columbus.

Thank you Bob Abeling for your outstanding efforts and taking that extra “mile” in helping save lives!

What’s your job title? And what do you do?
Special Donations Representative, and I assist with autologous, directed, and therapeutic donors. I also provide service to, well, basically, everyone who needs assistance pertaining to accomplishing BCP’s mission statement.

Describe your typical day at the Irwin Center.
A typical day at BCP would be: (1) following up on phone messages & emails; (2) entering autologous & directed orders into Safetrace; (3) making appointments for autologous, directed, and therapeutic donors and entering them into eDonor; (4) answering calls internally & externally and providing proper assistance to inquiries; (5) tracking autologous and directed orders and ensuring donations are available in time for surgeries, and; (6) following up with the doctor’s office regarding status of donations.

What do you like best/most about your job?
The warm feeling I get at the end of the day knowing I’ve helped others.

What are the challenges?
Coordinating with the doctor’s office and making sure orders are complete. Also, scheduling donations within the time-frame allotted and having them sent to their destination in a timely manner.

How do you overcome them?
By following through, whether rain or shine.

How long have you worked at BCP?
Nine years in June!

Thank you Tim for your hard work and dedication to the lifesaving cause of blood donation!

This week I had the incredible opportunity to attend the America’s Blood Centers Conference in Orlando, Florida. Now I know that many people wouldn’t think that a blood banking conference would be all that exciting. But when you work for such a unique nonprofit as a blood center, it’s great to have a chance to connect with others who work in your field and talk about how to better serve blood donors and recipients - and spread the word about the wonderful cause of blood donation. Plus did I mention it was in sunny Orlando? 

To add to my excitement (and I’ll admit nervousness) I got to present to the other conference attendees about how BCP is using social media to connect with our donors, to talk about saving lives by giving blood, and to share funny YouTube videos. That last part I tried to keep to only a slide or two.

by Barbara Mendoza, Boston Properties Blood Drive Coordinator and overall rockstar!

Every three seconds, someone needs a blood transfusion; your blood donation could help an accident victim, someone receiving an organ transplant or a cancer patient battling their disease. In fact, since each whole blood donation is separated into its components, you can actually save three lives. Saving lives. Do you need a better reason to visit the Embarcadero Center Total Wellness event? Well how about all of the other demonstrations, product sampling, complimentary massages, and over 65 booths that are involved?

Embarcadero Center is committed to providing its tenants and neighbors with community minded events that aim to educate and impact the public in a positive way.  Wellness is a way of living that emphasizes such preventive measures as eating a healthy diet, incorporating exercise into an enjoyable routine and making self-care decisions that will improve the quality of life.

Join the Total Wellness Blood Drive, Thursday, June 17, 8:00 am - 3:00 pm.  The BCP donor coach will be located at 4EC on Drumm Street. Schedule an appointment online at www.bloodheroes.com, enter sponsor code: embarcadero or call 415.772.0650.  Every donor will be entered in a raffle to win an iPod touch.

The Embarcadero Center Total Wellness event includes complimentary health screenings, fitness demonstrations, health & wellness booths, complimentary massages, entertainment, product sampling and drawings for special prizes.  Events will take place in Two, Three and Four Embarcadero Center from 11 AM to 2:00PM

For more information click here.

(photo credit: Miiish) ]]> BloodDrops 2010-06-11T20:43:34+00:00 http://www.bloodcenters.org/blog/landing/memorial-day-heroes/ http://www.bloodcenters.org/blog/landing/memorial-day-heroes/ by Ashley Messick, Social Media Specialist, Supporter of our Troops, and shouter of “Oorah”

When I think of Memorial Day weekend often the images that come to mind are of sunshine, hamburgers, and the first day of pool season. It is a great time to spend with family and friends, and for many of us to get a day off from work! Here at Blood Centers of the Pacific we often talk about our incredible blood donors, whom we consider Everyday Heroes. However, this Memorial Day is a perfect day to remember the Heroes this holiday commemorates, the men and women who died while serving in the American military. 

Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday of May, was originally known as Decoration Day, when it originated in the years following the Civil War. It became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades.Volunteers place American flags on the graves at National Cemeteries. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 pm, local time, each year. The time was chosen because it is when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday

This Memorial Day we remember those Heroes who have served in our military forces and given their lives. We also thank those who continue to serve our country.

Have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day!

photo link