Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Red Cross worker Kevin Kozelek attends to Hurley resident Linda Zarzycki as she donates blood at the Red Cross Blood Drive Friday at the Hurley K-12 School.
By JEAN NORDINE
Hurley - The Hurley School held a blood drive Friday in the library of the school.
The school participates in a scholarship program with the Red Cross. The scholarship goes to a graduating senior and the scholarship amount depends on how many pints of blood are collected during the year.
The school hosts blood drives three or four times a year, with the next one in September. Friday's was the first blood drive to count in the total for the scholarship.
Donors were greeted by volunteers Bonnie Sawicki and Shyanne Gulan. Sawicki has volunteered in the school's blood drives for three years, while Gulan has helped out for five years.
The entire process takes less than a half an hour. Donors fill out the necessary forms, read an informational pamphlet and wait for the next available table.
Once a table is open, they are screened by the attending worker and vital signs are taken. An area of the arm is cleansed and a needle is inserted to draw the blood. It usually takes just 10 minutes to collect one pint of blood.
After collection, a staff member removes the needle and places a bandage on the arm.
Donors are encouraged to spend 15 minutes after to have a snack and refreshments before leaving.
If someone becomes dizzy or lightheaded, he or she is to stay in the refreshment area and tell a staff member immediately.
Summer is a good time to hold a blood drive because there always seems to be a shortage during this season.
Friday's blood drive had 16 pre-registered donors, but the number of donors doubled with 16 walk-ins, resulting in 32 pints of blood taken.
One of Friday's donors was Linda Zarzycki, from Hurley. She is a frequent donor, giving blood at least two or three times a year and has been doing so for five years.
The Red Cross staff running the drive travels throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula on a regular basis. They go as far north as Houghton and have even traveled into Iowa.
Red Cross worker Kevin Kozelek said they will be in Waupaca, Wis., on Monday and Tomahawk on Tuesday, before returning to the area for a blood drive in Ironwood on Wednesday.
Kozelek has worked for the Red Cross for three years and is from Stevens Point.
