Tulsa World: Putting heart into it

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Putting heart into it
Youths gather to learn how to run blood drives

Todd Abner, the Oklahoma Blood Institute's vice president of donor services, talks with students participating in the OBI's community service workshop this week at Incredible Pizza. Stephen Pingry / Tulsa World

By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer
Published: 9/24/2009 2:20 AM
Last Modified: 9/24/2009 4:13 AM

At 15, Melissa Frye isn't old enough to give blood, but she came to Tulsa with 16 classmates to learn how to set up a blood drive at her high school in South Coffeyville, just south of the Kansas-Oklahoma state line.

"I want to be able to teach why it's so important," the Oklahoma Union High School sophomore said. She is the secretary of the school's chapter of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America.

The Oklahoma Blood Institute conducts annual workshops for northeastern Oklahoma teenagers to help develop future blood donors. This year's workshop is taking place this week at Incredible Pizza.

Dr. John Armitage, the institute's CEO, said high school students supply 8 percent of the country's blood supply, proportionately more than any other age group.

On average, donors ages 17 and 18 account for 17 percent of Oklahoma's blood supply each year.

Nearly 160 students and advisers from 10 high schools crowded into the room to learn the basics about blood drives. They came from Webbers Falls, Locust Grove, Kiefer, Keyes, Tahlequah, Hominy, South Coffeyville, Mannford and Tulsa.

In a highly interactive, multimedia presentation, OBI professionals taught the students everything from how to coordinate a drive to how to greet donors.

"Just because it's routine doesn't mean it's ordinary," Armitage told the students. "In fact, it's miraculous. By giving blood, we give hope, health, healing and comfort."

The primary reason that people give blood is because they have a friend or family member who once needed the life-saving fluid, he said.

"There's no substitute for blood," Armitage said. "You can't go get it from a factory."

With snack breaks and T-shirt giveaways, the program was fast-paced.

The students learned that if they aren't old enough or big enough to give blood, they can still help as a blood drive volunteer. Blood donors must be at least 17 and weigh at least 110 pounds.

"This is a lifestyle," said Stephanie Huston, the OBI's volunteer services director. "We are trying to engage them early on."

Kim Archer 581-8315
kim.archer@tulsaworld.com By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer

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