We believe in starting a new year off on a positive vibe, and what could be better than hosting our 3rd Volunteer Blood Drive?
So, come on down to our Athens HQ on Friday, January 12 from 10:00 – 13:00, and donate! And this is not just a call to action for employees, but also to fellow members of the local Entrepreneurial Ecosystem here in Athens.
Donating blood is a brief, selfless act of giving that truly helps to save lives. Effectively and immediately. That’s why we are strongly committed to hosting volunteer donation drives twice per year.
Our 3rd Blood Drive
As many of our stakeholders experienced first time round in January 2017, and the second last June, the process of donating blood is a matter of around 15 minutes of one’s time. It’s also practically painless, and extremely important.
From our efforts so far, in total we have collected 141 units of blood and plasma, meaning that our initiatives have helped up to 141 people. All blood is donated to Athens’ General Oncology Hospital in the suburb of Kifissia.
How important is donating? Under normal circumstances, blood bags last for up to 40 days, However, blood is always in short supply nowadays. In fact, according to information from our partner hospital, the need is so high that donated blood is used up, in its entirety, on average within just three days! For medium to serious surgery a patient needs on average around 5 units. But that number can go up to 16 for a series of multiple procedures.
One more thing. Anyone who donates as a volunteer is eligible to immediately apply for a blood donor card. The card works as a “blood bank” of sorts. For each unit you donate, you are “guaranteed” immediate access (top of the list) to an equivalent amount of units if you or your family or friends need blood.
A chance to give something back
We want to reiterate that businesses, including tech startups, don’t operate in a bubble. We leverage a lot of what our state and our society provide us with. From the basic public infrastructure that we rely on, to the schools and universities that trained our engineers and other staff.
I have a simple notebook I use every day with a Winston Churchill quote on the front. It’s a prized possession. Not just because it was a gift from my mum, but because of the nature of the quote.
It reads: “We make a living by what we get; but we make a life by what we give”. It serves to remind me every day about what’s important in life. To give, as freely and frequently as you can.
We should be giving back at every chance we get.
And with this responsibility in mind, we’d like to invite startups, incubators and colleagues from the tech industry to devote a small slice of their work day to join us once again in this vital initiative.
Remember, to give blood is to give life.
