Reunion at the Blood Mobile

Every 60 days or so, I have a reunion of sorts. On those occasions, I usually catch up with some old friends such as Ann and Ray Nichols, Susan Petell or George Pfaffenbach, where we all scheduled at approximately the same time to give blood at the American Red Cross Blood Drive – the most recent being on December 14th at St. Patrick’s Pius X Center and the next to be held on February 12th at the Congregational Church.

Our townspeople have long supported the Red Cross with that precious gift of life – our blood! These Blood Bank Drives occur locally and have been sponsored by a number of organizations such as the VFW, the Masons, and numerous churches with a typical afternoon yielding about 70 pints.

Recently I came across an article describing a Blood Drive in early 1946. Mind you, WW II had just ended and there was still a tremendous need for blood for the many operations being performed on wounded soldiers, so a major effort was still occurring throughout the nation. Here in East Hampton, we did our part. At that January Blood Bank held at EHHS (now the center School), our town – and you have to remember there were less than 3,000 citizens compared to today’s population near 13,000 – contributed 229 pints. Quite an effort!

So, if you’d like to do something really important, I would suggest that you also became a blood donor. There will need to endure a couple needles, but the good you do is immeasurable. The process is quite easy. I would strongly suggest that you don’t just show up at the door to wait in a queue. Look up the American Red Cross at www.ctredcross.org or call 860-287-3327 and schedule an appointment. See you there at my next reunion.