By Jenny Farley
KENNETT SQUARE, PA — For the first time, the American Red Cross has teamed up with the Kennett Library in Kennett Square to host a blood drive and day of free classes on how to prepare for a disaster.
Rana Sakr, the Director of Health Literacy at Kennett Library, described it as a safe, social and comfortable place where the Library’s health literacy initiative “Live Better” inspired the decision to help the Red Cross save lives.
“We wanted to bring attention to the need to volunteer, and all the help – through crisis management and preparedness – that the Red Cross provides to our community.”
Before coming to work at Kennett Library, Rana worked as a medical doctor in France and Lebanon. She also volunteered for the Red Cross.
“I come from a medical background so I know where that blood goes and how needed it is,” she said.
Donors who arrived for their appointments at Kennett Library went to a large room on the second floor, past rows and rows of books.
Akin Davulcu waited patiently for his turn to donate. He’s a scientist who works in pharmaceutical research and development and has donated blood since college. He has been married for 32 years.
“A few years back, my wife got sick and required some blood transfusions, so it solidified in my mind the need to have blood available for patients that need it,” he said.
Red Cross phlebotomists, like Krysten Brown, collected 33 units of blood during the drive. Krysten is completing several weeks of training to be a Red Cross blood collector. She described what she does to put donors, who might be nervous about giving, at ease.
“Just kind of talk to them. Tell them about the whole entire process. You just want to make sure that they are comfortable, that they are ready, that they know what’s happening.”
While the blood drive was going on upstairs, a team of volunteers and Red Cross instructors worked downstairs to help recruit new volunteers to the Red Cross and teach disaster preparedness.
Along with volunteer instructor Amy Juarez, Ryan Gaul led classes in hands-only CPR and Red Cross Ready workshops, where flood and fire safety were top topics. Ryan is the Disaster Preparedness Manager for the Red Cross SEPA region.
“The part that I enjoy about the program, the Red Cross Ready program, is that while we are providing some specific information, really the goal is to motivate people to start taking actions to prepare.”
During the classes, Ryan reminded eager participants that now is the time to make an emergency plan with their family. He also stressed how important it is to have working smoke alarms in their home and if they don’t, to call the Red Cross to come out and help install them.
Ryan and Amy used small toy stress-ball ambulances to get down on the floor and show how chest compressions are performed during hands-only CPR. That training meant a lot to Chase Fallon, who came to the library specifically to take the Red Cross hands-only CPR class.
“I thought it was really nice, very informative, very interactive, and I really appreciate the help that the instructors gave,” he said.
Red Cross volunteer Tracy Bell worked at a table near the front of the library, handing out brochures and information about Red Cross programs.
Tracy has volunteered for the Red Cross for 16 years and in her day job works for a local health system in Delaware.
“I love remembering that 1 in 7 patients walking through our doors needs blood. So, I feel like I’m contributing to our mission as a health system, as well as the Red Cross mission to providing those necessary services in the community.”
Amy Juarez, who taught classes with Ryan, is a social worker who volunteers for the Red Cross in several community preparedness roles. She is getting her master’s degree in emergency management.
After the classes ended, Amy helped Ryan pack up supplies. She said she felt good about the day’s events.
“We ended up having a good number of people that we were able to communicate with and it’s great to be able to spread the information,” she said.
The collaboration between the Red Cross and Kennett Library went well and there are tentative plans for another preparedness day and blood drive there again in the fall.
If you would like to volunteer for the Red Cross, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday, or to learn more about giving blood visit RedCrossBlood.org. To get involved in the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, visit redcross.org/homefires.
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