Cassia has always done a great job of caring for those who live in our communities or utilize our services. Last week, the home office was able to help others – even though we didn’t know the benefactors. Cassia held a blood drive on Wednesday, May 4th at the home office. With the assistance of the Red Cross we hit our goal of 30 units donated.

30 Units Collected

A lot of great things happened at the Cassia blood drive. Most importantly, 30 units of donated blood will save lives. Donations are essential for trauma patients and people undergoing a variety of medical situation, like surgeries, transplants, chronic illnesses, blood disorders, preterm birth and cancer. A single blood donation can give one to three patients a better outcome, a chance of survival. According to the American Red Cross, every 2 seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood and/or platelets.

30 percent of participants were first time donors

Additionally, the home office blood drive produced first time donors. (Did you know that according to the American Red Cross, only 3% of age-eligible people donate blood yearly?) Over 30 percent of the people who participated in the Cassia home office blood drive were first-time blood donors. Staff liked the convenience and comfort of donating while at the office. They were able to donate with folks they knew, both giving blood alongside them and volunteering at the event. We even had employees from our local Chapel View site in Hopkins who came to the home office to give.

Another benefit of the blood drive was the ability to use the GIVE (Growing in Volunteer Experience) staff benefit. With this program, Cassia employees can volunteer up to 4 hours a year and be paid. Like many things at Cassia, collaboration is key. This event couldn’t have been done without the help of many hands. We can’t forget the compassion shown to those who don’t like needles or blood but donated anyway, the patience as we navigated our first blood drive and the excellent Red Cross staff who came with yummy cookies and beverages.

As an organization, Cassia walks the walk. Not only do we understand the life-saving benefits of a blood drive, but staff were encouraged to take time from their work day to donate. No pun intended, but at Cassia, helping others is in our blood.