Countless people lay in hospitals each day in need of blood transfusions, people undergoing surgical procedures and those who suffer from blood loss due to injuries. Many of them slowly lose hope as they await blood that their bodies will accept.
As Rotaractors who are agents of hope, the Rotaract Club of UP Baguio (RAC UPB) conducted ExtRACt: The First Bloodletting Program of Rotaract Club of UP Baguio last July 20. 2023 together with the Philippine Red Cross – Baguio City Chapter, the project collected 35 bags of blood from eligible donors who are all willing and eager to have their blood extracted for the benefit of the patients in need.
Starting from 9:00 a.m., the breeze and the smell of pine trees greeted the volunteers in UP Baguio’s Alumni Lobby. Its location created an environment stress-free environment which is beneficial for the blood-letting process. The Red Cross provided everything needed and even gave light snacks and drinks to donors who needed energy after donating a bag of blood. Rotaractors also designed and gave out cute “I donated blood” stickers to the donors and volunteers as small tokens for their acts of service.
ExtRACt ended at 4:00 p.m. with bags of hope from kind-hearted individuals who shared their blood. Many UP Baguio students shared their blood donation experience along with pictures of their stickers through their social media accounts. Among them are Julia Maxine Peralta and Raizen Saimon Agulto who were first-time blood donors.
The new members of RAC UPB, Batch Dynamic B, spearheaded the donation drive to conclude their batch’s service project. Hope Creating President Michaela “Mikay” Saballegue also guided Dynamic B from the preparations until the culmination of the said event.
Planned out of goodwill, this opportunity to share oneself through service extends the Hope Creating Year’s kick-off. With the success of a bloodletting project like this, we can expect to save more lives and give more hope to those in need. For every initiative to help, RAC UPB will be an avenue to serve above oneself.
