Several firsts at today’s blood drive

Earlier today, the Graafschap Fire Department hosted their first blood drive of 2025. The schedule was full and the technicians kept the donors moving through at a great pace.

New for 2025, the American Red Cross has added some added benefits to the donors, which may be one of the reasons donations have increased. Blood tests are part of the screening process, but added testing can warn donors of potential health issues they could be headed for.

Other firsts today include milestones set by 2 different donors. Nancy Shepard (pictured below), from Castle Park, reached the 5-gallon mark at today’s session. She even sat for the Power-Red machine, which counts as a double donation. Giving of herself is not new to Nancy. She is a former volunteer ambulance driver and EMT in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Laguna Beach, California.

Mark Bajema of Zeeland (pictured below) has reached a significant milestone today. His total giving including today is 14 gallons. That is an incredible achievement and we are glad he chose to make this life-saving donation so many times. He has been a donor since age 19 at Hope College with his inspiration coming from his mother who was a nurse. He likes the convenience of the fire station and the ease of scheduling.

Thank you to all our donors, volunteers, and American Red Cross staffers who made today a success. If you would like to register for our next American Red Cross Blood Drive on March 27, 2025, click here, or call 1-800-RED CROSS. If you are interested in other Community Risk Reduction programs sponsored by the Graafschap Fire Department , visit that page here on our website.