On February 14, the Sarver Heart Center joined forces with the American Red Cross of Southern Arizona and other local organizations to host the Sarver Heart Day of Giving in the spirit of Valentine’s Day.
The first Sarver Heart Day of Giving set the stage for University of Arizona staff and students, as well as community members, to share the love and give back to their community. Helping to alleviate the country’s critical shortage in blood reserves, participants could save up to three lives by making one blood donation. UArizona Emergency Medical Services personnel provided hands-on Stop the Bleed training throughout the event. Participants who donated blood, and those who learned how to respond in bleeding emergencies, received raffle tickets to win prizes provided by local businesses.
Even passersby who did not make blood donations learned about ways to give back to their community. The Terrence Pickrel Heart Fund, which provides financial support to low-income heart transplant and LVAD patients in southern Arizona, shared information and recruited volunteers for an upcoming Trivia Night fundraising event. A representative from Ben’s Bells led participants in decorating clay flowers to be used in bells that will be placed around the city as a reminder to practice intentional kindness. The UArizona Frances McClelland Institute Science of Kindness Community Collective promoted its initiatives to integrate kindness into educational programming at all levels, including into curriculum at the College of Medicine – Tucson.
The Day of Giving garnered positive media attention in its first year, including coverage from KVOA and KGUN. Sarver Heart Center met its blood donation goal of 19 pints, which could save as many as 57 lives, and mobilized many community members to become lifesavers in bleeding emergencies.
