Blood Center
Tuesday, August 17, 2004 at 3:58 PM | Filed under volunteering
On Sunday, I worked at the blood center for the first time. Overall, it went pretty well. I started at 1:30 PM. Pretty much, my job is to serve juice to donors (and the technicians too). There's a juice dispenser (like soda dispensers in restaurants) that dispenses apple, orange, or cranberry juice. Many people like an apple-cranberry blend, and I'm happy to make it for them. There's also tomato juice in the refrigerator, along with water.
One old man asked for tomato juice at the end of my shift (also when the center closes), and I was sorry to tell him that there was none in the pitcher. If we weren't closing, I would have asked someone to get a new can for me, but most of the people had already left, and the monitor (that's me) isn't supposed to leave the canteen (area with juice and cookies).
The donors can get their own cookies (four kinds!), pretzels (Rold Gold), or crackers (Club, my favorite) from the baskets at the tables. I'm also responsible for booking the donors' next appointments, making sure to get attention if a donor is not feeling well, and cleaning up at the end of the day. I work every Sunday except for the second Sunday of each month from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Donate then so I can say hi to you. (16- and 17-year-olds need parent permission to donate blood, but that's not my responsibility.)
One old man asked for tomato juice at the end of my shift (also when the center closes), and I was sorry to tell him that there was none in the pitcher. If we weren't closing, I would have asked someone to get a new can for me, but most of the people had already left, and the monitor (that's me) isn't supposed to leave the canteen (area with juice and cookies).
The donors can get their own cookies (four kinds!), pretzels (Rold Gold), or crackers (Club, my favorite) from the baskets at the tables. I'm also responsible for booking the donors' next appointments, making sure to get attention if a donor is not feeling well, and cleaning up at the end of the day. I work every Sunday except for the second Sunday of each month from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Donate then so I can say hi to you. (16- and 17-year-olds need parent permission to donate blood, but that's not my responsibility.)
