Kids & Family

Lafayette Teen Spearheads Upcoming Blood Drive in Concord

Working toward her Girl Scout Gold Award, Caroline Newman has partnered with the Monument Crisis Center and Blood Centers of the Pacific to hold a community drive on Monday.

Caroline Newman, a Girl Scout from Lafayette, is partnering with the Monument Crisis Center and the Blood Centers of the Pacific to hold a Community Blood Drive on Monday, July 28 at the Monument Crisis Center in Concord. 

Caroline, who is going to be a senior this fall at Acalanes High School, is working on her Girl Scout Gold Award project: Blood Donation Awareness Campaign & Community Blood Drive. 

The Girl Scout Gold Award represents the highest achievement in scouting, recognizing girls who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through remarkable "Take Action" projects that have a sustainable impact on their communities.

In a leadership group last year at Acalanes, Caroline became involved in the school's Healthy Choices Board that helps organize, among other things, an annual blood drive.

"After donating blood for the first time last year,  I learned that about one in seven people entering a hospital need blood," Caroline said. "Nearly 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate blood, but less than 5 percent actually donates."

"In my conversations with medical professionals from the Blood Centers of the Pacific, I learned that once people donate they are likely to become lifelong donors. Several of the reasons people do not donate include little opportunity, fear and lack of understanding of the need for blood," she said. 

"With this new insight and an interest to help, I decided to develop a plan to build awareness for the need to donate blood, as well as to communicate the simplicity of actually donating." 

The Monument Crisis Center in Concord is acting as the host site, and local businesses, including BMW of Concord and Fry’s Electronics, are joining in as active participants, Caroline said. 

The blood drive will be in Monument's parking lot at at 1990 Market St. To schedule your appointment, visit                                  www.bloodheroes.com. Click Donate Blood, and enter Sponsor Code: Monument OR email cfnewman9@gmail.com with a preferred time for Monday.

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