By Mary Jo Blackwood
American Red Cross

If a family’s life could be perfect, this one would come close. Kresten and Alicia Wolff had the life both had always wanted: deep love for each other and two very cherished children. Alicia is a registered nurse and Kresten a talented musician from Denmark. Through their faith and their love for each other, they were able to weather whatever life threw at them. Until February 5, 2024. Kresten was driving his two children, Ella, 9, and Gabriel, 7, home from school. A man in a pickup truck ran a red light and broadsided the car so violently, it was pushed through a brick wall of a neighboring home. Kresten was killed and their two children badly injured. The music that filled their lives and home was silenced.

But that wasn’t allowed to continue. There was too much cause to celebrate this sparkling life that had touched so many others. He and Alicia were a good match. He called himself “an untreatable enjoyer of life”, while Alicia’s goal “is to bring joy and light to the world.” And that’s what they did, through his music and their joy of life. His Celebration of Life confirmed that. Because their church was too small to host it, the Arvada Vineyard Church, located about a mile from where Kresten was killed, donated the space and the sound technicians. Friends and family from all over the world came to tell Kresten’s story.  They had 650 people at the Celebration with another 800 watching it live around the world.

After that, Alicia started looking for ways to keep celebrating Kresten’s life. So this year on Valentine’s Day, because it was near the one-year anniversary of his death, she partnered with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive in his memory at their children’s school, Peak Expeditionary School, where Kresten had shared so much of his music.

“The kids and their parents knew him, and the teachers appreciated all he brought to their students. We set it up with Red Cross and sent out the link to the app to schedule appointments. We got 34 donations that day, including four power reds. And many of the teachers who donated were first time donors.”

She said it was such an uplifting experience. The school has very special people, and she couldn’t say enough about the support and skills of the Red Cross phlebotomy staff.

“I think what made it so special was the significance of Kresten and the fact that it was Valentine’s Day. Donating blood is such an easy and selfless thing to do, much like how Kresten lived his life. When people take a minute to realize how little impact donating a pint of blood has on their day but how it can dramatically change the life of someone who needs it, they are honoring Kresten.”

Donating a pint of blood takes minutes, and helps ensure when someone desperately needs it, blood is available. If you haven’t donated before, consider doing it. Find a location by going to:  https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive. If you or your organization would like to sponsor a blood drive, it’s very simple. Click here to see how easy it is.