Skokie, Illinois Apr 28, 2023 (Issuewire.com) - On Earth Day 2023 -  April 22nd, Chicago youth volunteers, We Are One hosted a blood drive through Versiti Blood Center (Versiti) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Oliver McCracken Middle School in Skokie. In total, 219 people will be able to be helped through successful donations by members of the Skokie and surrounding communities. 

Among the 100 scheduled to donate, 70% were successfully registered and 60 were able to complete donations. Both whole blood and double red donations were conducted. Whole blood donations include a pint of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma, while double red donations consist of only red blood cells, which can help twice as many people. 

Recounting previous experiences with We Are One's blood drive donors, Emily Alanis, the Donor Recruitment Manager for Versiti Blood Center of Illinois said, "We're very thankful whenever you guys come out. When it becomes a life-giving party, that's when it gets really exciting." Any donations made between April 22nd and 30th, Versiti, through Blood Centers of America and Forestmatic, will have a trackable tree planted in honor of the donor thus saving lives as well as helping the planet. 

Among those who donated, there were 12 first time Versiti donors. When asked about what brought them out to donate, some mentioned a friend had invited them. Many people in the United States do not donate simply because they had not ever been asked. With each pint of blood donated able to save 3 lives, 36 people are potentially saved. 

Working with We Are One to host drives since July 2022, John Wielgosz, an account representative of Versiti Blood Center of Illinois expressed his gratitude for the donors, "On behalf of everyone here at Versiti and our hospital partners, THANK YOU! We could not fulfill our lifesaving mission without community partners like you."

We Are One's goal is to foster continued awareness of the value of blood donations, since blood cannot be manufacturedand hopes to be able to inspire, support and serve the members of the local community through partnerships with volunteer organizations.  

Contact We Are One to partner in future volunteer efforts: +1 773 715 4074