In celebration of Valentine\u2019s Day, on Feb. 14, the Gaidz Youth Organization (GYO), Armenian Council of America (ACA), in cooperation with the Red Cross, hosted a blood drive at the AEBU center in Pasadena.<\/p>\n
It is widely known that blood drives save hundreds of thousands of lives across many communities throughout the nation. GYO and ACA partnered up with the Red Cross, in an effort to help underserved communities in Southern California, which have been hit the hardest by the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is currently a shortage of blood within the Los Angeles County area, and every drop counts,\u201d said ACA Board Member Harry Unell. \u201cOur hospitals and medical personnel are already stretched thin, and we feel it is our duty to help in any way we can, especially now, during the pandemic with all the unrest we are experiencing. This event was a great opportunity for us to come together to demonstrate the love we feel for our community and mankind,\u201d added Unell.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince Valentine\u2019s Day is the holiday of love, we thought that it would be a great idea to show our love for our community by hosting a blood drive,\u201d said GYO Co-chair Alison Ghafari. \u201cWe are facing a serious crisis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and blood donations are in great demand. It is our responsibility to serve the community in any way possible and so we decided that this was the best way to spend Valentine\u2019s day and express our love and compassion towards humanity,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Ghafari and Unell both stated that the organizations are committed to raising more awareness about the importance of donating blood. They added that there will be more blood drives at the AEBU center in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cDonating blood is a selfless act and rewarding experience for individuals interested in saving lives. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Red Cross for helping ACA and GYO put together this successful event, and most importantly, the participants, who spent their Valentine\u2019s Day graciously donating blood to save the life of a person in need,\u201d Unell added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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