By: Abby Walker, American Red Cross

If you sign up to give blood with the American Red Cross at the new Seattle Blood and Platelet Donation Center on a Monday, you’ll find a familiar face behind the computer to check you in. That face is Red Cross volunteer Carla Brenner, who loves building relationships with those who come in to donate lifesaving blood.

Carla has been a blood donor ambassador with the American Red Cross since December of 2021. When she was nearing retirement, she knew she wanted to keep busy. So, she made a promise to herself: get involved with two different organizations and spend two days of her week volunteering.

The first organization was an easy choice. She had already been involved with the Friends of The Seattle Public Library, and so decided one day of her week would be dedicated to getting back into a volunteer role there. The second organization was new for her, and one she found while browsing the internet: the American Red Cross.

“I saw this Blood Ambassador position and I thought ‘what is that?’” she said.

The role sparked her interest. Thinking she’d be handing out snacks to blood donors, she inquired about the position. “But they said no, you’ll be checking blood donors in.”

Computer work was an intimidating task for Carla, who admittedly said to herself ‘yikes!’

“But I was reassured that if you can buy an airline ticket, or you can buy anything online, you can do this,” she said.

With the support of the local Red Cross staff and volunteers, she found the role easy. On Monday’s since then, she has volunteered to set up with a Red Cross computer and welcome the donors who came in to give lifesaving blood during mobile blood drives hosted within the Red Cross office in Seattle.

Over the years, she’s built relationships with many blood donors, even exchanging books with some of them. It’s her favorite part of the position.

“I’ve run into donors a lot outside of here, and we remember each other, and that’s really a lot of fun,” she said.

On June 23, 2025, Carla came in for her normal Monday shift, but her workstation was far from the normal one she has been used to over the last several years. Rather than a temporary folding table and chairs, the new Seattle Blood and Platelet Donation Center is equipped with a fixed check-in desk and waiting room.

“It’s so modern!” she said when looking around at the newly renovated space.

“The computer was already here, plugged in and charging. There are five staff members, whereas I’ve been used to maybe three,” she explained, noting the changes that have come with the new space. “It’s very efficient!”

The American Red Cross Blood and Platelet Donation Center is a state-of-the-art facility located in Seattle, bringing Red Cross biomedical and humanitarian services under one roof. Strategically placed for the opportunity to engage a new generation of blood donors, the site is easily accessed by mass transit and includes ample free parking. It now serves as the sole blood donation center in South Seattle and is open five days a week.

This center is part of a transformational investment in healthy outcomes for patients in the Puget Sound area and across the country. To schedule a blood donation, visit RedCrossBlood.org/GiveAtSeattle.