By Rhian Lopez, American Red Cross volunteer

During my spring break, I went on my first venture as a communications volunteer at the American Red Cross, collecting the stories of two blood donors on their way out of the Kearny Mesa Blood Donation Center.

One of them, Kirsten, who has been donating platelets for a year, claimed that she started donating to get the beloved Snoopy t-shirt that was brought back from the Red Cross x PEANUTS collaboration for her and her daughter. She then kept donating afterward in support of the Red Cross, and is still excited by the gifted merchandise!

The other, Joel, a longtime blood donor of the Red Cross (having started around 20 years ago), shared a heartfelt story of his motivations for donating. He recalled when his friend’s wife suffered from birthing complications, and how she had to rely on donated blood to save her life. Fully realizing the value of giving blood, he has never stopped donating since.

To me, hearing these two stories illustrated the significance of volunteers regarding the Red Cross mission, especially when it comes to its blood donation efforts. Kirsten and Joel are different people with different lives who had different motivations to donate, yet they still end up in the same place contributing blood to help those who need it most.

I think a similar sentiment could be said towards all Red Cross volunteers in any department and field: various people across the country coming together to respond to those who need it most.

If you would like to learn more about making a difference in your community by donating blood or your time, visit redcross.org/SoCal.