If I'm old enough to vote I can also donate blood

Bangor Maine City Councilor Clare Davitt believes in public service, helping others whenever and wherever she can; it’s a strong community ethic she first learned in her home as a child growing up. Clare’s Mother was a doctor – a neonatologist – before she passed in 1997; her Father became a lifetime donor after seeing the importance of blood donation during a tour of service in Vietnam. 

Clare also had an older sister who died of Cystic Fibrosis when Clare was just one year old. She grew up hearing about the role that blood donations had in helping her sister as well as others battling Cystic Fibrosis. 

Although she absorbed stories about the importance of donating blood and sharing her good health with patients in need, blood donation was not always high on her list of things to do. But when Clare turned 18 that changed, she thought if I’m old enough to vote I can also donate blood and a new habit was formed.

It takes just about an hour, start to finish, to donate, and that one pint of blood can help as many as three patients in need. 

“There is no other source of blood than a healthy, volunteer donor yet only about 3 percent of our U.S. population donates blood,” says Councilor Clare Davitt. “I encourage all those who are able to donate to please make time to give. I started donating blood because I believe it’s what people should do; I use the Red Cross Blood Donor App to make my appointments and keep track of how much blood I’ve donated. I love it when I receive notification that my donation has been sent to a hospital, it’s a very satisfying feeling to know that you were able to help a patient in need.”