Doris (the head administrative assistant in the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts) and I (Assistant Prof in the same department) were very happy to head to the Red Cross in downtown Norfolk to donate blood in honor of Amanda. We felt like school children going to recess as we packed up our purses and said "later" to all the office staff and other faculty members - skipping out on work on a Friday for a good cause -- smiling broadly! We donated very quickly - both of us had solid iron counts and "good veins!" Then, we took our time at the recovery table where we helped ourselves to juice, pretzels, cookies, and water -- oddly, there was no one staffing the recovery area! It made me miss donating at Penn State where the canteen was the best part!The Red Cross staff was captivated by Amanda's story and our efforts to make this a national memorial blood drive. I am touched to see how many people donated blood (especially first-time donors) and volunteered time in this effort. This is the first year that we tried to coordinate a national memorial blood drive and I am convinced that as the years proceed we will have Amanda Kundrat memorial blood drives popping up at universities and other settings all over the nation. This isn't a one time deal! Let's do it every year and each year bring an additional friend!
I know others from Old Dominion University are also going to donate blood in honor of Amanda in the next month and will keep you posted!
Love and Health, Maggie
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