Donating time, not blood

Posted Feb 2, 2012 By John Curry

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John Brummell

Mavis Lewis, left, and fellow volunteer Gwladys Reynolds, right, of the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Richmond Branch 625 of the Royal Canadian Legion are joined by Jennifer McKay, centre, of Canadian Blood Services at the most recent Canadian Blood Services community blood donor clinic in Richmond. Mavis and her fellow volunteers have been helping at community blood donor clinics in Richmond since 1998.

EMC News - They're blood donor clinics but for some they are time donor clinics.

That's the case for Mavis Lewis and her team from the Ladies' Auxiliary of Richmond Branch 625 of the Royal Canadian Legion who since 1998 have been volunteering at the Canadian Blood Services community blood donor clinics in Richmond.

These clinics, held roughly every two months, are now held at the St. Philip Catholic Church's parish hall in Richmond. They formerly were held in the gymnasium at St. Philip Catholic School.

Mavis, as leader of the volunteers, attends every blood donor clinic, working along with one other volunteer of the team which comprises Gwladys Reynolds, Edna Monahan, Joyce Lavoie, June Craig, Jane Louks and Heather Murphy.

The call for volunteers went out back in 1998 and the Ladies' Auxiliary responded and have kept at it over the years.

Their role has changed over the years but they now are there to provide tea, coffee, cookies and donuts to the blood donors after they have made their blood donation. The cookies and donuts are provided through the generosity of King's valu-mart in Richmond.

They also watch the donors to make sure that they are not bleeding or adversely reacting to the donation. If they spot something, they notify an attending nurse of the situation.

"It's a fun time," Mavis Lewis says about the time spent volunteering at these community blood donor clinics, especially since many of the donors are regulars and they get to know them.

"We just like to volunteer, that's all," she says in explaining why she and the other Ladies' Auxiliary members volunteer at these community blood donor clinics.

Of course, they are not alone in this, as over 17,000 Canadians all across the country contribute 200,000 volunteer hours a year in volunteering at Canadian Blood Services clinics. Through their efforts, these volunteers, like Mavis Lewis and her team in Richmond, have a hand in saving lives since their donation of time helps Canadian Blood Services to make a difference in the lives of thousands of hospital patients in Canada who require blood and blood produces each year.

Indeed, it is the dedication of volunteers like Mavis Lewis and her team that ensures that Canada's blood donor system can exist and can meet the demand for blood and blood products in the country.

Canadian Blood Services will collect a million units of whole blood, platelets and plasma in a year in order to meet the needs of hospital patients across the country. This happens thanks to the 410,000 active whole blood donors in Canada as well as the efforts of volunteers like Mavis Lewis and her team who ensure the success of local community blood donor clinics like those that happen in Richmond.

Blood donations save lives. Each blood donation is divided into three main components, red blood cells, plasma and platelets.