Across the whole world, every year, all of the Keller Williams offices shut down to give back to their community by donating blood, platelets and plasma on KW’s Annual Red Day. The company sets aside the second Thursday of May to host a massive blood drive within each community they serve, in association with One Blood, a nationwide blood drive organization.
The members of KWW aren’t the only ones who want to give back to their community which is why One Blood leases out huge red busses for each event to make sure it’s obvious where Red Day is taking place. Everyone is encouraged to donate, though you must be at least 16 to begin donating or have a parent/guardian with you. KWW’s blood drive is open to anyone who fits those requirements, and the whole community of Wellington is encouraged to come.
What we really love about the event is that it gives the community a chance to come together and give donations at the drive throughout the day. To help make sure to give back to our participants, a food truck from Giovanni’s Gourmet Italian Ice came out and set up alongside the Red Bus, offering ice cream and other hits-the-spot food to all participants. Other donors brought Dunkin Donuts, but regardless of what they chose everyone was encouraged to eat something after donating, to keep themselves feeling strong after their donations.
There are different types of blood donations that One Blood offers. The first are whole blood donations, the most common type, where blood is drawn for use of every component in the blood. The second is double red cell donation, where only red blood cells are taken from the donator through a method called automation. During automation, the donated blood is placed into a centrifuge, a device to quickly spin and separate the blood into its individual components.
The third kind is a platelet donation; these donations greatly benefit cancer patients going through chemotherapy. By using the extra blood platelets, which are specialized cells used to heal other blood cells, these patients are aided in their fight. And finally, the fourth type of blood donation is a plasma donation. This is used primarily to help those who are anemic or are having a hard time getting their blood to clot on its own. -- Amidst all these life saving volunteers, remember to also take care of your own health; you must wait at least 56 days after making a whole blood donation to donate again (to give your body time to make new blood and make sure you don’t get sick).
This year, RED DAY has helped save over 111 lives with the blood that was donated. The project hopes to expand awareness through the community and KWW is ready to help foster that growth. This year the drive was held on May 13th 2021 at the new office building of Keller Williams Wellington. The next drive is going to be held May 12th 2022 and the bus will be open to do donations from everyone once again. Make sure not to miss it!
