Community Corner
Forest Hills Girl Scouts Are Looking For Blood Donors
Event Set For Grace Lutheran Church on Jan. 16
Emphasizing that blood has no substitute and an estimated one-third of United States residents will require a transfusion of the vital fluid in their lifetimes, two Forest Hills area teenagers are spearheading a blood drive.
The event will take place at Grace Lutheran Church, 103-15 Union Tpke., from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Jan. 16, in conjunction with the American Red Cross and the New York Blood Center. Refreshments will be provided, informed Lauren Yesko, 15, and Claudia Thuleweit, 16.
Lauren and Claudia are quick to point out reasons why people should participate: one pint can save three lives; only about 5 percent of Americans donate, even though 60 percent are eligible; and blood can be broken down into plasma, white cells, red cells and platelets to help people in myriad ways.
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“You get hurt, you need blood,” said Claudia. “You give it and you get it back [your body replenishes it] within the month.”
“It’s the satisfaction of helping,” added Lauren, whose cousin survived an enlarged spleen emergency thanks to a transfusion of donated blood. Her father and Claudia’s mother are frequent donors, she added.
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Lauren and Claudia are members of Girl Scout Troop # 3-358, which meets at Grace Lutheran every other Friday. In order to reach female scouting’s highest level – the Gold Award – they must perform 80 hours of community service. In addition to the blood drive, they plan to volunteer at local hospitals with the hope of reaching their milestone by the time the Girl Scouts parent organization celebrates its 100th Anniversary on March 12, 2012.
There are a few donor restrictions, Lauren and Claudia pointed out. The main targets are individuals between the ages of 17 and 75 who weigh at least 110 pounds and are in good health. However, 16-year-olds like Claudia need written consent from their parents in order to donate, and those over 75 need a doctor’s note. Anybody under 15 is not allowed to participate, even Lauren.
For more information, contact Herman Pietrera at 516-369-8074 or hpietrera@nybloodcenter.org.