Small veins and a big heart led Brenda Brenchley to volunteer with the Idaho Red Cross.

Brenda is a blood donor ambassador, welcoming donors to Pocatello blood drives, signing them in and making sure they have a good experience. A happy blood donor is a returning blood donor.

“I wanted to do something to give back,” said Brenda, who has been volunteering for about two years. “Since my veins are so small, I can’t really donate blood so this is a good way to help out.”

Brenda said being a blood donor ambassador is an easy, rewarding volunteer experience, and she’s made friends with Red Cross staff and donors along the way. There’s time to crochet or read a book during her shifts, she said, and she enjoys the flexibility of choosing which days she volunteers. She typically helps out at four to six blood drives a month.

“I chat with the donors and see how they’re doing,” she said. “I think it makes the wait go faster for them.”

The Red Cross of Idaho, Montana and East Oregon organizes more than 4,200 blood drives each year, and blood donor ambassadors help make sure these drives run smoothly.

Sixty-eight years old, Brenda began volunteering with Red Cross a few months after retiring as a secretary. The opportunity to connect with others is one of the best parts, she said, especially following the isolation that came with COVID-19.

“It’s good for me mental health-wise,” she said. “It gets you out and about visiting with other people. We need that interaction.”

But above all, she knows she’s helping keep Idaho’s hospital shelves stocked with the lifesaving blood products that so many depend on.

“It’s an opportunity to help everyone around me, and that’s what we’re here for – to serve one another,” she said. “It’s knowing that I’m doing good.”

BECOME A BLOOD DONOR AMBASSADOR

Are you interested in becoming a blood donor ambassador volunteer like Brenda? The Red Cross has opportunities available across Idaho, Montana and East Oregon.

Red Cross asks that these volunteers help at least one blood drive a month. A typical blood drive lasts four to six hours.

To learn more or sign up, visit redcross.org/volunteer or call 208-488-5231. Training is provided.