Thank You to all of the individuals who donated their time and blood for the LJB's/LGH Blood Drive. We had approximately 80 potential donors for this great cause. A special thanks goes out to the Lancaster Barnstormers and their Upper Management Team for allowing us to use the Wheatland Suite of Clipper Magazine Stadium and another special thank you to Amy Welsh, the LGH Blood Donor Recruiter.

Did you know what all is involved with a blood drive? Let me try to give you an idea of what all goes into that unit of blood. (I am sure I will miss a few things). You need people to organize blood drives, set them up, take the blood, bags for the blood, people to transport the blood back to the blood center, people to separate the blood into 3 different components (red blood cells, plasma, platelets), equipment to do this, places to store the products (refrigerators, freezers, platelet rotators), testing (ABORh typing, screening for HIV/hepatitis, syphilis and many other things), people to label the blood, pack it up in boxes to be shipped to hospitals, and drivers to transport the blood.
At the hospital: people to test the blood to ensure compatibility with the patient, refrigerators/freezers/platelet rotators to store the products, people to prepare the product (plasma must be thawed, platelets pooled, etc.), doctors to order the blood, nurses to transfuse the blood (sorry, I don't know too much about this end of things).

I have left out many steps in the process but you get the idea. It's a very complicated process none of which would be possible without the generosity of the blood donor. 

Again, Thank You to everyone involved!!

On Saturday November 21, several of the boys and parents of the 12U red team spent the morning working at the Open Door Clothing Bank in Lititz. This clothing bank distributes free clothing to those who are in need in our community. The boys helped sort and organize clothing for future distribution. The boys had a great time that morning in service to the community.