You will need it someday - donate your blood

During World War II,  America turned to the Red Cross to develop a supply of lifesaving blood on a massive scale. This led to the establishment of the American Red Cross Blood Donor Service, which collected 13.3 million pints of blood plasma for use by our armed forces in World War II. After the war, the Red Cross introduced the first nationwide civilian blood program. Today, each year, the Red Cross collects 6.5 million units of blood from approximately 4 million donors nationwide, and distributes over 9 million blood products for transfusion.  Wowzers!  But they need a lot more.  Keep on reading. 


Below are some amazing facts to consider on your drive to donate blood to Red Cross:  

• Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
• More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
• A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S. (2006).
• The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
• The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs.
• More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

• The number of blood donations collected in the U.S. in a year: 16 million (2006).
• The number of blood donors in the U.S. in a year: 9.5 million (2006).
• The number of patients who receive blood in the U.S. in a year: 5 million (2006).
• Share of the U.S. population eligible to give blood: Less than 38 percent.
• Blood cannot be manufactured – it can only come from generous donors.
• Type O-negative blood (red cells) can be transfused to patients of all blood types. It is always in great demand and often in short supply.
• Type AB-positive plasma can be transfused to patients of all other blood types. AB plasma is also usually in short supply.

• The number one reason donors say they give blood is because they "want to help others."
• Two most common reasons cited by people who don't give blood are: "Never thought about it" and "I don't like needles."
• One donation can help save the lives of up to three people.
• If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives!
• Half of Red Cross donors male, and half are female.
• The American Red Cross accepts blood donations only from volunteer donors.
• Among Red Cross donors in a given year, 19 percent donate occasionally, 31 percent are first-time donors, and 50 percent are regular, loyal donors.
• Only 7 percent of people in the U.S. have O-negative blood type. O-negative blood type donors are universal donors as their blood can be given to people of all blood types.
• Type O-negative blood is needed in emergencies before the patient's blood type is known and with newborns who need blood.
• Forty-five percent of people in the U.S. have Type O (positive or negative) blood. This percentage is higher among Hispanics – 57 percent, and among African Americans – 51 percent.
• Only 3 percent of people in the U.S. have AB-positive blood type. AB-positive type blood donors are universal donors of plasma, which is often used in emergencies, for newborns and for patients requiring massive transfusions.

Schedule an Appointment or Find an Upcoming Blood Drive Near You.

A video to remind you that the minutes it takes to donate blood is well worth the investment: 

Blood cannot be manufactured – it can only come from generous donors.

Give Up Your Stuff

Supposedly, Spring is here.  It is a time to clean out garages, closets, and work on the beach body.  Sadly, there are many who don't have the means to give away items because they don't have anything to give.  This month, we should all take the time to dig through our many dresser drawers and donate to the less fortunate.  I was glad when asked to give what I could to a person in need.  I know you will enjoy it, too.  Below are some examples of local organizations who can use your big people clothing, baby clothing, shoes, or whatever else you can give.  

Clothes and Help to Mothers from Birthright International

When you're blessed with a baby, it can feel like baby clothes from friends and family can pour into your house.  For most, that is not the case.  This organization is in great need for baby and maternity clothing for young mothers and families.  Check out their story.

Birthright began very humbly in 1968, with a one-room office and only $300 in the bank. But Louise's steady leadership and powerful vision ensured that the new pregnancy service survived. In later years, Louise was glad the organization did not begin with a lot of money because it caused Birthright to rely on the "good hearts and hard work of volunteers" to provide "lots of love and common sense." Over thirty-five years later, Birthright International remains true to Louise's original vision of personal, one-on-one contact in helping relationships. Louise's Birthright means "approachability and informality" for clients and volunteers, instead of bureaucracy and meetings in highly structured, business-like environments.

Birthright takes a "non-moralistic, non-judgmental" approach toward helping women through their pregnancy dilemmas. Louise regretted the fact that some young unmarried mothers were belittled or ostracized by their relatives: "I can never see anything wrong with any of them." Louise recreated the supportive homelike environment they deserved to have. Moreover, Louise helped formulate a Charter, followed by all Birthright chapters worldwide, to define Birthright's services, to ensure that pregnant women receive the same considerate treatment at every Birthright chapter, and to help volunteers preserve Birthright's good reputation in the future.

In addition to clothing, Birthright performs many other services including: 

Completely confidential help Friendship and emotional support Free pregnancy testing Medical referrals Legal referrals Educational assistance and referrals Maternity and baby clothes Housing referrals Referrals to social agencies Referrals for professional counseling Information on: Prenatal development Job search/career development Adoption Pregnancy & childbirth Child care options Child safety issues

If you or someone you know is facing an unplanned pregnancy, feel free to call a local Birthright. Select Locations and find the chapter nearest you. Or call Birthright at 1-800-550-4900 and speak to someone confidentially. Our volunteers are as near as your telephone, and they want to help.

Shoes and Clothes for Kids

More than new outfits. New outlooks.

SC4K is the only non-profit organization in Greater Cleveland providing new shoes and clothes to thousands of children in need at no charge throughout the year. Through a network of 30 distribution partners, SC4K positively impacts the lives of area children by giving them the self-esteem and confidence that comes from having brand new shoes and clothes.

Shoes and Clothes for Kids is the only non-profit organization in Greater Cleveland providing new shoes and clothes at no charge throughout the year to thousands of children in need.

In 2011, SC4K will distribute new clothing and Payless shoe gift cards with a retail value of $2.2 million.

From 1999 through 2010, SC4K distributed over 150,000 Payless shoe gift cards valued at over $1.5 million.

SC4K distributes items year-round, operating a distribution through an extensive partner distribution network of 30 social service agencies up to six times annually.

The average clothing distribution is valued at $340,000 and the average Payless gift card distribution is valued at approximately $30,000.

The partner agencies are located in areas with high densities of children living at or below at least 185% of poverty. Living at 185% of poverty equates to a family of four living on $40,793 annually.

SC4K procures a majority of its clothing items through a deep-discount purchasing program. Through a network of wholesalers that sell children’s clothing at deep discounts, SC4K is able to purchase between $20.00-$25.00 worth of brand new clothing for every $1.00 spent.

Through our purchasing program, a donation of $40 turns into one thousand dollars worth of brand new clothing and shoes for the children we serve.

Founded in 1969, this year marks SC4K’s forty-second year of service to families in the Greater Cleveland community.

Videos are Always Helpful to Learn About an Organization

Here are some more great places to donate your stuff:

Goodwill  

Salvation Army

Catholic Charities  

Please give what you can.  Thanks. 

Smile Train

Although the life span of this blog is very short, it has covered some very worthy causes. However, Smile Train is what gave me the idea of the once per month donation page. There are pictures well worth a few coins from your pocket.

Unlike many charities that do many different things, The Smile Train mission is focused on solving a single problem: cleft lip and palate.

Clefts are a major problem in developing countries where there are millions of children who are suffering with unrepaired clefts. Most cannot eat or speak properly. Aren’t allowed to attend school or hold a job. And face very difficult lives filled with shame and isolation, pain and heartache.

The good news is every single child with a cleft can be helped with surgery that costs as little as $250 and takes as little as 45 minutes.

This is Smile Train's mission:
-To provide free cleft surgery for millions of poor children in developing countries.
-To provide free cleft-related training for doctors and medical professionals.

Until there are no more children who need help and we have completely
eradicated the problem of clefts.

Meet some of the kiddies that need our help:


Meet Shiva (Before Smile Train)

Shivarudrayya (Shiva) was born with a severe cleft lip and palate in a very poor, rural area of Northern India. His father is a laborer who earns about 50 cents a day. But that’s when he can get work, which is usually only 10-15 days a month.

Shiva’s parents were in shock when Shiva was born with a massive cleft. They thought it was a curse and they blamed themselves. Local folklore states that clefts occur when a pregnant woman uses a knife during an eclipse.

Even worse, they did not know that clefts can be repaired until they came across an advertisement in the local newspaper that a neighbor read to them (they are both illiterate) about a Smile Train clinic in the nearby town.

Shiva was operated on by one of Smile Train’s best partners, Dr. K. Gopal Krishnan and his all-Indian medical team, at SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital in Dharwad, India. Since he was operated on when he was so young, Shiva was saved from many years of pain and heartbreak. And he will never develop the kind of speech impediment that is often impossible to correct in children who have their clefts repaired much later in life. He may never know how truly lucky he is.

 

Meet Shiva NOW!

Meet Angelica (Before Smile Train)

For Angelica Joy (AJ) Fabroa, getting the operation needed to fix her cleft lip was a challenge. The youngest of four children, AJ was born in the Philippines into a poor, hardworking and loving family.

When AJ was born, her father started crying at the sight of her cleft lip. He and his wife were devastated, but neither of them lost hope because they knew her cleft could be treated. Knowing that AJ would have trouble feeding, they placed her in the care of a local mission that treated children with clefts. However, because AJ had been underweight since birth and had a weak body, the local mission evaluated her and would not operate.

When AJ and her parents returned a second time, again she could not pass the physical due to her low body weight and they were told to hospitalize her. AJ’s parents could never afford to pay for the cost of a hospital stay and so they began searching for another alternative.

Soon after, a local council official visited their small community and told AJ’s parents about The Smile Train Cleft Care Program run in conjunction with the Philippine Band of Mercy. In a matter of weeks, AJ finally received the surgery to repair her deformity.

Today, little AJ is a healthy and happy two-year-old, who can eat normally and is starting to talk. Because of the determination of her family and The Smile Train, the Fabroa family can all smile together!

Meet Angelica NOW!

Click here for some more amazing stories.

What is also impressive about Smile Train is how much money goes directly from your wallet to the medical procedures per child. Take a look at Smile Train's financials.

Watch some videos of supporters and those who need our help.

What Makes The Smile Train Different:
-Focused on a single problem: cleft lip and palate.
-Teach a man to fish: we empower local doctors in developing countries.
-The lowest cost per surgery of any cleft charity.
-Best safety and quality record amongst cleft charities.
We bring your donations to the poorest countries on earth which magnifies the impact

Please help these cute kiddos.

Thank you.

Congenital Cardiovascular Defects

Fittingly, February is American Heart Month. Sometimes, little babies are born with hearts that just don't tick like they are supposed to. These little ones are born with Congenital Cardiovascular Defects.

What is a congenital cardiovascular defect?

Congenital means inborn or existing at birth. Among the terms you may hear are congenital heart defect, congenital heart disease and congenital cardiovascular disease. The word "defect" is more accurate than "disease." A congenital cardiovascular defect occurs when the heart or blood vessels near the heart don't develop normally before birth.

What causes congenital cardiovascular defects?

Congenital cardiovascular defects are present in about 1 percent of live births. They're the most common congenital malformations in newborns. In most cases scientists don't know why they occur. Sometimes a viral infection causes serious problems.

Heredity sometimes plays a role in congenital cardiovascular defects. More than one child in a family may have a congenital cardiovascular defect, but this rarely occurs. Certain conditions affecting multiple organs, such as Down's syndrome, can involve the heart, too. Some prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines, as well as alcohol and "street" drugs, may increase the risk of having a baby with a heart defect. Researchers are studying other factors.

What are the types of congenital defects?

Most heart defects either obstruct blood flow in the heart or vessels near it, or cause blood to flow through the heart in an abnormal pattern. Rarely defects occur in which only one ventricle (single ventricle) is present, or both the pulmonary artery and aorta arise from the same ventricle (double outlet ventricle). A third rare defect occurs when the right or left side of the heart is incompletely formed — hypoplastic heart.


There are thousands of kiddos who are born facing a battle and a hard road ahead. Benjamin was one of them, but due to some good work from doctors and lot of love he is enjoying school, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and teaching other kids about healthy hearts.

Watch and listen to Benjamin talk about his life. What a guy!


There are many cute kiddies that need our help. Please help if you can.

Money Buys Science and Science Buys Life: Please Make a Donation

If money isn't your thing, then there are several other ways to contribute.


Thank you.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that:

-clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and

-obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.

What CF treatments or therapies are available?

The best treatments and therapies for cystic fibrosis vary from person to person. CF caregivers at a CF Foundation-accredited care center work closely with CF patients and their families to create individualized treatment plans.

Since cystic fibrosis affects the lungs of most patients, a large part of the treatment routine is to clear mucus from the airways by using different airway clearance techniques. These techniques use vibrations to help loosen the mucus in the lungs so it can be coughed out. For more information, read Airway Clearance Techniques.

There are several medicines that treat lung infections and help people with cystic fibrosis breathe better. They are:

-Mucus-thinners – Medicine that thins mucus, making it easier to cough out.

-Antibiotics – Drugs that can kill or slow the growth of germs called bacteria. One commonly used CF drug is TOBI®, or “Tobramycin for Inhalation.”

-Anti-inflammatories – Drugs, like ibuprofen, help reduce inflammation or swelling of tissues in the body. People with CF have inflammation in their lungs. This is one cause of lung damage.

-Bronchodilators – Medicine that opens the airways for easier breathing.

A Dream for CF

Advances being made in CF research have the potential to make dreams come true for people with CF that were impossible just decades ago. The CF Foundation asked some of the many extraordinary people affected by this disease to share their dreams for the future.






Money Buys Science and Science Buys Life -- Please Make a Donation



If you absolutely cannot donate in currency form, please donate some of your time.

Great Strides Are Being Made

Why We Stride

GREAT STRIDES: Taking Steps to Cure Cystic Fibrosis is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's largest national fundraising event. Tens of thousands of co-workers, friends and family come together each year as one community for one cause…to help find a cure for CF. In 2009, nearly $35 million was raised to support vital CF programs. Learn more.


About GREAT STRIDES
Thank you for your interest in GREAT STRIDES. We’re looking forward to a great event in 2010! Each year, GREAT STRIDES continues to gain momentum, as do our research efforts and progress toward a cure. Learn more.


Thank you.