By: Lori Baker, Communications Volunteer

Dennis Richards warmly welcomes Red Cross blood donors and tells them how much they are valued for their life-saving donations.

“I’ve enjoyed meeting and learning from many incredible and diverse blood donors (and volunteers) over the years and like to think that I’ve in some way contributed to the donors feeling comfortable and appreciated and thus they’ve returned again and again,” Dennis said.

The American Red Cross is experiencing an emergency blood shortage. Blood donors of all blood types — especially type O — and platelet donors are urgently needed now to ensure patients at hospitals across the country continue to receive critical medical care.

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Whether it’s a person giving birth, a child with sickle cell disease receiving a transfusion or a cancer patient undergoing treatment, access to blood and blood products is a necessity.

Dennis became a Red Cross Biomedical volunteer in 2006. As a Blood Donor Ambassador, he assists with each donor's registration and helps them with whatever they need after they finish donating blood. He primarily volunteers at the Broadway Donor Center in Tucson.

He is an exceptional trainer and is supportive of all the volunteers. He maintains an on-site volunteer schedule. Additionally, twice weekly he meets the blood donation contractor who delivers supplies. He then assists with the deliveries and stores delivered items. He assists the Team Site Leader by helping to plan promotional items, such as shirts and socks.

 He first became a Red Cross volunteer as a teenager when his father was the American Red Cross Field Director at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. He and his parents lived on the base, and his mother volunteered in the pharmacy at the Base Clinic.

“When summer rolled around, my mother invited me to join her in the pharmacy, which I did. After a short time in the pharmacy, I added another volunteer task. I went from room to room in the clinic where patients were and offered them books, games, and snacks. It was just for one summer as we then moved off base into the town of Alamogordo,” he added.

Dennis retired as a U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sergeant after serving 26 years in communications and electronics, working in operations, planning and implementation, technical writing and career field management.

He encourages others to become Red Cross volunteers.

“Volunteer with the American Red Cross; there are a wide variety of opportunities.  Regardless of where you volunteer in your community, you will learn more about yourself, you will help others, and you will develop skills you may not have thought you had within you,” Dennis said.

If you’re interested in becoming a Red Cross volunteer, go to redcross.org for more information.  

The American Red Cross is the nation’s largest single supplier, providing about 40% of blood and blood products. Each day, the Red Cross must collect about 12,000 units of blood at approximately 500 blood drives in order to meet this constant and urgent need.

Blood donation appointments can be scheduled by visiting  RedCrossBlood.org, downloading the Blood Donor App or calling 1-800-RED CROSS.