Last Friday over half of the Volano team volunteered to donate a pint of blood to the American Red Cross. Our team stepped it up and even brought donuts and bagels in a preventative pass-out strike. (There’s always that one guy). I’m happy to report we suffered no casualties. I’m also happy to report that our dart and cocktail schedule was not interrupted. Hydration is for suckers.

When talking with one of the Red Cross employees, I was struck by the shortage and need for blood. Conventional wisdom would dictate that exposure to our now constant news cycle might create a greater awareness and imperative for donating blood. So I hopped on their website and also looked at recent stories on blood shortages over the last few years. Not surprising, natural disasters deplete reserve supply. Hurricane Sandy caused the cancellation of key blood drives due to power outages and perilous weather conditions. So you have a double negative going on, a spike in demand in areas where blood drives are prohibited from taking place due to the very disaster that created the need. The Boston bombings have now become noteworthy for the relatively low casualties, largely due to the top-notch medical facilities and first responders. Much donated blood was used to save lives that day.

The Red Cross employee I talked to said locally the donor blood supply was down about 20% from their goal. Before I got too swept up in outrage, I realized there was a solid decade plus in between my donations. I’m pretty sure I threw out my donor card along with my Blockbuster Video rental card.

So here are a just a few reasons to consider penciling in blood donation.

• Every two seconds a patient in the U.S. is in need of blood
• One of every seven people checking into a hospital is in need of a blood transfusion
• Only 3% of the U.S. population donates blood – you’d be in an elite club
• Recipients of donated blood are among some of the most vulnerable – premature babies, children being treated for heart problems and cancer and trauma patients to name a few
• Donating takes about 10 minutes

So, Volano didn’t save the world Friday, but we joined an elite club and paid it forward a little. If you’re interested in doing the same, check out The Red Cross website and schedule a donation when you have a few spare minutes.