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Blood drive swoons on Valentine’s DayFree Access | February 15, 2018 By PATRICK ADRIAN padrian@eagletimes.com SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Valentine’s Day traditionally provides an opportunity to share sentiments from the heart. At the Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, it provided donors a chance to share from the heart more literally. The scheduling was coincidental, Sharon Yesman, the local drive coordinator, acknowledged, She said the blood drives are always scheduled on Wednesdays and eight weeks apart. The drive Wednesday ran from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Elk’s Club on Park Street. Organizers seized the occasion to decorate the room with festive and soothing stringed lights and streamers. A bowl of chocolate hearts sat in the middle of the snack table for the donors. That said, Valentine’s Day might not have been helpful for blood donations overall, Yesman indicated. While donor visits were steady through the day, Yesman said the turnout was noticeably lower than in previous years at this time. Yesman said 63 people signed up in advance to donate, but 10 to 12 did not appear for their scheduled appointments. Some individuals came as walk-in donors, though Yesman said many walk-in visitors do not stay to donate due to reservations about possible wait times, which is why most donors schedule in advance. Moreover, this winter in general has not been favorable to the Red Cross’s blood drives, according to Yesman. More than 500 scheduled blood drives across the country were canceled due to winter storms, the flu outbreak or other health problems. The Red Cross estimates a loss of 16,500 blood and platelet donations from the cancellations. Yesman could not say for certain why turnout was lower on Wednesday, noting there being various possibilities this time of year. This was her first time coordinating the blood drive on Valentine’s Day and she imagined that a certain number of people might have made other plans, especially with the day being pleasantly warmer than usual. She voiced confidence that the next blood drive in Springfield, scheduled for April, will make up some of the difference. At 4:30 p.m. there did not appear to be any couples donating blood as a romantic activity. The closest were two platonic friends: James Bean, 22, and Christina Lawrence, 23, both from Springfield. It was Bean’s seventh time donating blood and Lawrence’s fourth. Bean said he first donated blood as a high school student and has since continued. Bean has a fiancee. He said he tried to get her to go to the drive but was unsuccessful. “She’s scared of needles,” Bean said.
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