Taking to the podium for my cause.

There is a cause that I have believed in and given to for over thirty years.

I was nineteen the first time that I ever gave blood.  A good friend of mine really wanted me to do it and he went with me the first time and sat there giving me reassuring looks the entire time.

Here at IU, during Homecoming. we have the Blood Donor Challenge.  It used to be a challenge/contest between Indiana University and Purdue University.  (If you are not from Indiana, this is where I have to tell you that IU and PU are huge rivals.)  IU always won the blood challenge and basically, when you won, you got bragging rights.  We always won and a couple of years ago, Purdue quit.  Just dropped out.  This is where I have to say "just like Purdue."   If you are a Purdue fan, please don't write me a hateful response...I was married to a Purdue man, we held football season tickets for years.  (I still know the words to the Purdue fight song, do you?)  I thought I had died and gone to heaven...a forestry major from Purdue.  I truly thought "it doesn't get any better than this." 

When, when I divorced him, I divorced Purdue.  Then both of our children earned their undergrad degrees from Indiana University.  Then I went to work at Indiana University.  And with the exception of the one day when Ball State University (my institution- where I earned my BS in English with a minor in Natural Resources) play football...I am an IU person. 

 I even bleed for IU.

This was the scene yesterday.  The blood drive was held at the DeVault Alumni Center where I used to work when I worked for alumni.  It was nice to go see all of my old friends...

It seems to me that the most people who can give, do.  And people who can't want to tell you why they can't.  It will be a sad day for me when I can no longer donate blood. 
Please don't wait until someone that you love needs blood to donate.