Giving for a good cause

By donating a pint of blood, those who came to a blood drive in Yuba City on Tuesday were helping people in desperate need, making use of a renewable resource and willingly taking a needle to the arm for a good cause.

Of course, the free movie ticket and pint of ice cream for doing so might also have been pretty good motivations.

"I think if you let people know there's a great need, they come out," said BloodSource account manager Robin Carter at midday, when nearly two dozen people were under a tent in the Cinemark movie theater parking lot waiting for their turn to give.

Before the drive, one of several events BloodSource holds at the theater annually, organizers set a goal of collecting 140 pints.

By 5:30 p.m., 250 people had signed up to donate, Carter said, and BloodSource appeared to be on the way to exceeding the mark.

A good turnout during summer was a good sign, Carter said, explaining there is no national disaster or event like 9/11 to spur people to donate.

As well, supply typically drops off this time of year when more people are on vacation and schools, which often host blood drives, are out. But she said demand rises because more people are undertaking outdoor activities and driving, both of which sometimes lead to accidents. "People need blood every day," she said.

Still, Banessa Curiel, 19, said she had some jitters as she waited for her name to be called.

"I'm really, really nervous," she said, adding she wanted to donate before but never did because she was on her own. Having her boyfriend along to donate with her Tuesday helped, she said.

"I'm doing it because they get these really cool bandages, and it's for a good cause," said Curiel, of Yuba City.

But she was also aware of the cost to her.

"I'm like, 'it's gonna hurt,'" she said before entering a trailer to start the donation process.

For veterans of the practice, though, fears of needles weren't enough anymore.

Christina Jonsson, 41, said she and her mother donate three times a year. Sometimes she brings along her 4-year-old daughter to introduce her to the concept, she said.

"I always bring something to read," she said, adding the incentives weren't why she donates. "It might be the only way you get some people."

Fourth-time donor Dale Williams, going into his junior year of high school, said he remembered being told horror stories of giant needles before his first time.

"And it turned out to be not true," said Williams of Yuba City. He said he's going to also begin donating platelets.

But even on a balmy summer day, one incentive brought grins to the faces of he and his three friends as they waited to be pricked.

"We're definitely going to go get the ice cream afterward," he said.