Dexter Library Blood Drive Continues 15-Year Tradition

For some Dexter residents, the library is where they borrow books, attend programs and, a few times a year, roll up a sleeve.

Dexter District Library will host its next American Red Cross blood drive Tuesday, June 2, with many appointment times still available for a tradition that has quietly become part of the library’s community life.

The blood drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Meeting Room 1 at Dexter District Library, 3255 Alpine St. Donors can schedule an appointment at RedCrossBlood.org by searching by ZIP code or using the sponsor code dexterlibrary.

Paul McCann, director of Dexter District Library, said appointment times remain available, especially during the middle hours of the drive.

The June drive continues a partnership that began shortly after the current library building was constructed. McCann said the Red Cross reached out after the new building opened, and the two organizations have continued working together ever since.

“The Dexter District Library has been hosting Red Cross blood drives for the past 15 years,” McCann said.

Over that time, the library has hosted more than 50 blood drives and collected more than 1,700 units of blood with the Red Cross. McCann said nearly 8% of Dexter-area residents have visited the library to make a blood donation.

That kind of turnout was not possible at the library’s former Fourth Street location, where there was not enough room to host a blood drive. In the current building, the Red Cross can set up six to eight donor beds in the lower-level meeting room.

“The turnout has been so consistent that the drives held at the library rarely have room for walk-in donors,” McCann said.

The library holds about five blood drives each year, primarily between late August and early June. McCann said the library takes a break during the summer because its meeting room is busy with summer reading program events.

The drives also depend on Friends of the Library volunteers, who help with check-ins, required reading materials, the donor snack table and watching over donors as they rest and recover.

“The library has been very fortunate to have ready and willing volunteers from the Friends of the Library,” McCann said.

The partnership gives Dexter-area residents a convenient donation site closer to home, especially for those who may not make the trip to the Red Cross donation center on Packard Road near U.S. 23. It also brings some people into the library who may not have visited before.

“The partnership between the library and the Red Cross has been beneficial for both organizations,” McCann said. “It is a win-win for both organizations.”

The Red Cross says blood donations are used for patients who need surgery, cancer treatment and transfusions after traumatic injuries.

Whole blood donors generally must be in good health, feel well, be at least 16 in most states and weigh at least 110 pounds, according to the Red Cross. Final eligibility is determined at the time of donation.

The library’s next blood drive after June 2 is scheduled for Aug. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Featured photo: Dexter District Library will host an American Red Cross blood drive June 2 in Meeting Room 1. Photo by Doug Marrin