22nd January 2024
Since Lee’s announcement about Days of Difference, I’ve been trying to figure out ways to use them and connect with my community. I considered various charities and humanitarian organisations in my area, asking myself who'd be a good fit for a full day's help. It wasn’t until I read Take Five that I realised the days can be used in smaller chunks, and that a blood donation would qualify! I've inherited one of the highly sought-after blood types, and growing up watched my dad donate blood regularly. I tried donating in college but wasn't prepared for the physical exhaustion afterwards. That, plus being politely hounded by the Red Cross due to my blood type, put me off donating for a long time. However, Civica’s commitment to community improvement has encouraged me to begin donating regularly. I made a ‘Power Red’ donation (a double-batch of red blood cells) which left me pretty rough for about 24 hours, but being able to work from home and take care of myself while recovering has been a tremendous help. Thanks to Civica’s Days of Difference I'm empowered to regularly follow my dad’s example and positively impact my community. It’s not as exciting as many of the other initiatives that I've read about in Take Five, but I have it on good authority that ‘every little bit helps’.
