Paul Szmal: Time to welcome in a couple of guests that are going to be talking about their involvement with the Cayuga County United Way's Day of Caring and a couple of different elements. First off, I want to welcome Kate Grindstaff, who is the Visitor Experience Manager with the Equal Rights Heritage Center. Kate, welcome back. Haven't talked to you in a while.
Guest: Hi, Paul. Thank you.
Paul Szmal: And also joining us is Damon Lincourt. He is an Account Manager for the Donor Services Western New York Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Guest: Good morning, Paul. Thanks for having us on.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, much appreciated. And we'll hear from Julissa Stone-Spacher as well in just a little bit. So, Kate, I want to start with you because one of the focuses of the Day of Caring is a back-to-school drive that you are partnering with.
Guest: Yes. So, the Equal Rights Heritage Center is going to be doing a joint project along with United Way, and our event is actually going to be slightly before the actual Day of Caring. It's going to be on August 1st, so it can coincide with our downtown Auburn Saturday Market, which will be themed for back-to-school on that date. So, we are doing a packet-forward backpack and school supply donation, and we are asking people to come drop off school supplies that kids really, really need in our area at the Equal Rights Heritage Center leading up to August 1st. And then on that Saturday Market day, we will be having volunteers fill these backpacks with all the donated supplies, and we will be distributing those backpacks right there at the market. And then if we have any leftovers, we'll finish those up on the actual Day of Caring on August 6th and distribute those to Booker T. Washington Center.
Paul Szmal: Now, when we're talking about items that kids need the most, is it still, you know, the paper, folders, pens, pencils, or are there some other items now that kids need for school?
Guest: Yeah. So, what we're focusing mainly on is the actual school supplies. So, yes, like notebooks, paper, pencils, glue, backpacks, crayons, dry erase markers, binders, folders, rulers, tissues, things like that.
Paul Szmal: Okay. Okay. And again, that's going to run now through August 1st at the Equal Rights Heritage Center, and then on August 1st itself, the items are going to be assembled and handed out. Let me shift gears here, and let's talk about the Day of Caring blood drive that's being held in partnership with the American Red Cross. Damon, tell me a little bit about what you're up to here in this element of the Day of Caring.
Guest: Sure, Paul. The timing of this really couldn't be more important. Taking part in such a great campaign as the Day of Caring, that's important to us in our partnership with the United Way, but it's also critically important right now to the American Red Cross. We are in an urgent appeal period because of a shortfall in our blood supply. The blood supplies have dropped tremendously since the end of May, and yet summer months, everybody's on vacation, they're traveling, they've got all these other activities. So donations go down at the worst possible time for us. So from that viewpoint, the timing of this drive is very critical to help us meet the needs. It's also really one of the best ways to show caring because you're not giving to a specific person per se, you're giving to the need for blood. It could be anywhere or anyone.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, very true. Let's refresh everybody on what types of blood are needed the most and who's eligible to donate.
Guest: Sure. Right now, we would say that all types are certainly welcome, all types are certainly needed. Those of you with an O positive or O negative blood type, that's the most commonly donated and commonly used. Those are universal donor types. Also, those of you with O positive or O negative or A negative or B negative have the opportunity to step up your giving. You could give what we call a power red donation, where we collect two units of red blood cells. That doubles the impact your donation can have. Critically important too, because that is the only type of donation we use for infants and pediatric patients.
Paul Szmal: Okay. To determine eligibility for being a blood donor, how do people go about doing that?
Guest: It's always best to check on our website, redcrossblood.org, for the latest standards because we revisit those standards like every three months to make sure we're current and up to date. But as a rule of thumb, you can say this, so long as you are healthy, even if you have a medical condition, so long as you are healthy, managing your condition, you can probably give blood.
Paul Szmal: And the blood drive is going to happen on the day of caring itself at Cayuga Community College from 11 until 4. There is registration recommended for this, Damon, where can people find that?
Guest: Again, if they go to redcrossblood.org, they've got the option to find this particular drive. And if the timing doesn't work for them, they can look for other blood drives in the area that fits their schedule better. We oftentimes run at other locations in Auburn.
Paul Szmal: And we should probably, Damon also mentioned the date that this is going to happen too, so people can bookmark it in their calendars if they want. Right. Let's see, now I've got to look up the date because I didn't come in prepared. Oh no. Julissa, you want to jump in here on that one?
Guest: Yeah, Julissa, jump in. I can. It will be Thursday, August 6th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and we'll set up at the Cayuga Community College in their gym. So it's that side entrance, or back entrance rather, lots of parking space, and there's still plenty of appointments. So if you are able to come and donate blood, there's lots of space, but walk-ins are always welcome. We've got volunteers who will be there to greet you, help monitor the canteen area, and last year we started giving out little thank you cards to everyone who donated blood that day. So make sure you sign up, give blood, and say hi to our amazing volunteers who will be there.
Paul Szmal: Damon, do they still do like the cookies or the little treat or juice the, uh, after you make the blood donation?
Guest: Oh yeah, you get a little, you get a little nosh, you get a little something to drink. Of course, that's for the well-being of the donor. I want to point out also, it's actually also so that we can check to make sure every donor is doing fine after donation, having no negative reactions.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, yeah, especially if you're doing that double donation that you're talking about.
Guest: Right, which actually oftentimes leaves the donor feeling better after donation because they actually, while they give two units of their red blood cells, they get plasma and fluids put back into them. They oftentimes feel better afterward.
Paul Szmal: So there you go, another incentive to go and participate in that blood drive. And again, that's on August the 6th. That'll be at Cayuga Community College running from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. in the gym. All right, Julissa, we want to talk about the Countywide Personal Care Drive that's going to launch on the Day of Caring.
Guest: It is. The Day of Caring has really become a day of a lot of drives and a lot of projects, and we're really excited. This is the ninth annual Day of Caring, or sorry, Countywide Personal Care Drive. We partner with sites across all of Cayuga County to set up donation boxes where people can donate hygiene items like shampoo and toothpaste, sanitary napkins, deodorant, razors, all those basic needs that are not covered by assistance programs. And at the end of the drive, we partner with CAP Cayuga Seneca, and because they already have that mobile food pantry, they're distributing out to all of our food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters, so they're able to coordinate that distribution so that everything donated and collected here in Cayuga County stays here in Cayuga County to support our neighbors. Last year, I believe we had 19 different locations across Cayuga County that received over 3,000 items. This year, our goal is to surpass what we collected last year, so we're aiming for about 4,000 items to give out to those food pantries.
Paul Szmal: And the easiest way to do this is when you go shopping for school supplies, if you want to donate to the back to school drive or the personal care drive that Julissa is talking about, when you go out shopping, if you're getting those supplies or those type of things, just get an extra one and then donate it. It's that simple.
Guest: Absolutely. And it's such an important thing for the families who are really looking for these items. In talking with the food pantries and the shelters and outreach programs, the need is growing tremendously for those hygiene items because they can't access it in other ways because it's not part of that assistance program, so the need is growing substantially.
Paul Szmal: And once again, I want to reinforce the point when the United Way does their Day of Caring like this, these are organizations that are right in the county that are getting a direct benefit from your donations.
Guest: Absolutely.
Paul Szmal: All right. Thanks so much, everybody. Kate, Damon, and Julissa, appreciate you being on board to tell us all about this morning. Again, the United Way Day of Caring is coming up on Thursday, August the 6th. If you want to do the back to school drive and help out with that, you can do that at the Equal Rights Heritage Center now through August 1st. August 6th is the Day of Caring blood drive in the gym at Cayuga Community College from 11 until 4, and that 9th annual countywide personal care drive launches on Thursday, August the 6th. Thanks, everybody. Much appreciated.
Guest: Thank you.
Guest: Thank you.
