Battling intergalactic aliens is a great way to rescue your fellow humans, but it isn’t the only way. Did you know that 2,883 TECO team members – at TECO Plaza alone – have already saved 8,649 lives?!
How? Simple: by donating blood.
During the One Blood informational meeting at the Plaza last Thursday, attendees learned about the fleet of 200 big red buses serving over 220-plus hospitals in the Tampa Bay area. OneBlood has become the conduit for those wanting to give “the universal charity,” as blood donation has been called – and TECO team members have shown, time and again, that their enthusiasm for helping save lives in this way is positively electric
“Since we have started hosting blood drives at TECO in 2003, over 51,348 lives have been positively impacted and saved thanks to the generosity of TECO employees!” said Stevi Hemingway, account representative with OneBlood. “That’s absolutely amazing!”
Across the Tampa Bay area and Florida, over 17,000 TECO team members have contributed to saving lives. This includes blood for recipients of organ transplants, those in need of emergency surgery, Moffitt cancer patients and more.
Coordinating OneBlood’s efforts for team members at TECO Plaza – including the March 30 informational meeting – is Tison Vega, Coordinator, Regulatory Affairs with Tampa Electric: “I have friends and family members who have all been blessed with donations from the caring people who took the time to donate.”
“The opportunity to lead these efforts for the Plaza has without a doubt reinforced my commitment to being a blood donor and has helped me realize the necessity for donating regularly,” he added. “It’s great that TECO’s partnership with OneBlood makes it easy for many of us to make an incredible positive difference in the community; it’s even better that so many team members step up to give back – without knowing whose lives they may be saving.”
According to OneBlood informational meeting’s main speaker, Dan “The Blood Man” Eberts, with Community & Donor Relations, “Donors were the silent heroes during the Orlando shootings last year. It’s important for donors to understand that with the battery of tests all donations go through during the 24-hour turnaround, it’s the blood that’s already on the shelf that helps most in a crisis.”
Your donation today could be more critical than you realize, in other words. And while fear of needles is what keeps many people from donating, heroes know they can overcome this. And think of the bonus benefits you get when you donate blood: in particular, a wellness check of your blood pressure, iron and cholesterol levels, and pulse rate. You could come out of your donation with greater self-awareness about your health than when you went in. And you’ll know you’re helping saving lives.
With that in mind, the message of OneBlood is clear: more regular donors are always needed.
In the words of Isabel Mato, data analyst with TECO who attended the OneBlood presentation, “It’s just giving a gift that’s so easy.”
Be the hero you were born to be and donate today! A OneBlood big red bus will be at the TECO Plaza today from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information or to schedule an appointment with OneBlood, click on the link Just One More.
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