Bonfils Blood Center: A Community Treasure

 The folks at Bonfils Blood Center just released their annual report, and they did it online. The report impacted me in three ways:

1. We were honored to again produce the video elements of the report. (Pages 4 and 14)
2. I'm a regular donor, recently donating my 51st pint of O-Neg blood.
3. The fact the report is online, easily shareable and much more cost and message effective than the traditional glossy report you get in the mail.

But as Paul Harvey used to say, "Now ...for the rest ...of the story." We spent the first day of shooting video for the report at a blood drive, following the collected blood back to Bonfils HQ, watching the exhaustive testing and preparation of the blood supply to it being picked up by area hospitals. As smooth a running operation as I've ever seen.

We did all this on Thursday July 19. Very early the next morning, a gunman opened fire on theater-goers in Aurora, CO. Many died, many were critically injured and taken immediately to area hospitals. They survived because highly trained surgeons and ER staff had the most precious of elements available to them; Human Blood.

I talked with Dr. Eric Lung of Sky Ridge Medical Center afterwards. He told me, "Without that supply of blood, people would die." Bonfils made sure the blood was there and people survived. When I first heard the news of the shootings, I immediately thought about all I'd witnessed the day before, especially that box of blood being picked up by an area hospital.

While Bonfils was literally mobbed with people wanting to donate blood after the shootings, the hard fact is only 4% of eligible donors in Colorado actually donate. The two most common reasons for not giving are understandable. They hate needles and think it's a very time-consuming process.

The 4% who do give have just one reason for doing so. They know that when they donate, they save a life.

So let this 6+ gallon donor put you non-donors at ease. First, the Bonfils staff is highly trained and while you feel a bit of a poke from the needle when donating, it's just that, a little poke. Secondly the whole thing takes less than an hour.

Less than an hour of your time to save a life. Think on that. Bonfils' operating hours make it possible for must about anyone to fit that hour into their schedule.

Bonfils has 400 dedicated and talented staff. From the professionals who takes your donation either at a blood drive or a Bonfils Blood center, to the people that work so hard to make sure the blood supply is safe to those who prepare it for delivery to area hospitals, all are incredibly dedicated.

It's great that so many folks offered to help out after the theater shootings. But the need for blood is year-round. For accident victims, cancer patients, even routine surgeries the need is daily, make that hourly.

If you've never donated, I urge to try it just once. When you're done, know that you've saved a life.

It's a nice feeling. Even better when you've done it 51 times!

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations