Successful Blood Drive at Emerson
Community Service Project Led by 5th Graders

March 12, 2009

Ann Arbor - One donated pint of blood saves up to three lives and today the Emerson community showed its faith in that important equation. In partnership with the American Red Cross, Joyce Gerber's 5th graders ran a blood drive at the school, collecting 30 pints, including units from 11 first-time donors.

Meticulous planning, hard work and lots of creative energy went into the service project. The 5th graders wrote and received a $100 grant from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. With funding they made up donor gift bags of useful items. They planned and carried out a get-out-the-donors campaign of signs, phone calls, Internet and word of mouth, and worked on site as greeters, child caregivers, and refreshment servers.

Thank you to our 5th graders who worked hard on this community service project, to parents and staff who donated refreshments and time, and to all of the blood donors who offered an important gift indeed.