(no subject)
Okay, I'm going to hop on my soap box here for just a little bit.
Due to cultural beliefs in Japan, fewer blood and plasma is donated there per year in comparison to other countries. I know that there are plenty of people here on my friends list that may not have the means to open up their wallets and help by donating money toward the relief effort in Japan; me being one of them. However, that doesn't mean that there is nothing that you can do. The American Red Cross has jumped in to help, and while they are taking money donations, they are also reaching out to ask people to donate blood and plasma to help those injured by this disaster.
Never donated blood or plasma before? It's actually not too bad. It doesn't take a lot of time--maybe an hour out of your day. There are a few requirements (http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood/eligibility-requirements), but really most people won't find it too hard to meet these. They need everything that they can, so if you decide to donate blood, plasma or platelets, it will be so much help!
Can't donate blood due to one reason or another? That doesn't mean that you're out yet. Donate your TIME. I've worked a few blood drives myself, and I can tell you it is one of the most rewarding things to do. Takes about three or four hours out of your day, and you still get to aid in the efforts to make sure people get the help that they need!
Squeamish? If you have a few dollars in your pocket, then you can do so much. How much is a toothbrush? $1.50? Soap? $2.00? Do you know how much displaced people out there would love/need items like that that we take for granted? Stock up and watch this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTwG86LGGpI) to learn how you can donate these essential items to help.
If you can make a money donation, however, and are unsure as to where you should go about doing that, I'm here to tell you you can do it while sitting there at work, or on your computer, or in your car. You have a cellphone, right? The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army are taking text donations. Either text "REDCROSS" to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross, or text "Japan" to 80888 to donate $10 to the Salvation Army. Or if you can't text, there is a big list of places taking money donations (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-03-11/relief-funds-for-march-11-earthquake/tsunami-in-japan).
So if you're sitting there thinking, "Wow, this is really bad. But it's on the other side of the world, and I'm poor so anything I do here won't help," you'd be so wrong! Please, if you can, reach out. Thank you for reading.
Due to cultural beliefs in Japan, fewer blood and plasma is donated there per year in comparison to other countries. I know that there are plenty of people here on my friends list that may not have the means to open up their wallets and help by donating money toward the relief effort in Japan; me being one of them. However, that doesn't mean that there is nothing that you can do. The American Red Cross has jumped in to help, and while they are taking money donations, they are also reaching out to ask people to donate blood and plasma to help those injured by this disaster.
Never donated blood or plasma before? It's actually not too bad. It doesn't take a lot of time--maybe an hour out of your day. There are a few requirements (http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood/eligibility-requirements), but really most people won't find it too hard to meet these. They need everything that they can, so if you decide to donate blood, plasma or platelets, it will be so much help!
Can't donate blood due to one reason or another? That doesn't mean that you're out yet. Donate your TIME. I've worked a few blood drives myself, and I can tell you it is one of the most rewarding things to do. Takes about three or four hours out of your day, and you still get to aid in the efforts to make sure people get the help that they need!
Squeamish? If you have a few dollars in your pocket, then you can do so much. How much is a toothbrush? $1.50? Soap? $2.00? Do you know how much displaced people out there would love/need items like that that we take for granted? Stock up and watch this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTwG86LGGpI) to learn how you can donate these essential items to help.
If you can make a money donation, however, and are unsure as to where you should go about doing that, I'm here to tell you you can do it while sitting there at work, or on your computer, or in your car. You have a cellphone, right? The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army are taking text donations. Either text "REDCROSS" to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross, or text "Japan" to 80888 to donate $10 to the Salvation Army. Or if you can't text, there is a big list of places taking money donations (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-03-11/relief-funds-for-march-11-earthquake/tsunami-in-japan).
So if you're sitting there thinking, "Wow, this is really bad. But it's on the other side of the world, and I'm poor so anything I do here won't help," you'd be so wrong! Please, if you can, reach out. Thank you for reading.