Lori Jenkins, right, volunteers as a Red Cross blood donor ambassador, welcoming donors as they arrive at Idaho blood drives and making sure they have a good experience.
When her dad was seriously injured in a car crash in 2009, Lori Jenkins found herself in the middle of a crisis.
A police dispatcher, Lori was accustomed to helping others during an emergency, but this was different. This was intensely personal.
As she watched her dad receive multiple transfusions, Lori wanted desperately to help and asked if she could donate her own blood directly to her father. She was told that while that was not possible, she certainly could donate blood through the Red Cross.
In December of that year she began donating, later joking with her father that she was trying to catch up and repay the Red Cross for the blood that he had received. She went well beyond that mark and has recently qualified for the Red Cross five-gallon pin.
But she went even farther. For several years she has worked as a Red Cross volunteer in her hometown of Twin Falls, Idaho. At first, that meant assisting at a local church which regularly hosts blood drives. At one drive, a Red Cross employee noticed her as she greeted donors, made sure they got a treat afterwards, helped with paperwork and assisted staff as they sanitized tables.
That employee told Lori that volunteers were needed to do the same kind of work at mobile blood drives throughout the area. Lori raised her hand to help.
Eventually the Red Cross formalized that position, creating the blood donor ambassador program. Lori checks online to see when and where help is needed and signs up for opportunities that work with her schedule.
Now retired and with ample time for sharing, Lori says she likes the sense of connection to community that the blood donor ambassador program provides. She has worked with the program long enough that she often recognizes donors and calls them by name when they step inside. She enjoys the warmth of similar greetings from the staff when she arrives at her post.
Deeply committed to donating as well as volunteering, she encouraged her husband to become involved and he is now a Power Red blood donor.
Now it’s your turn
The Red Cross needs more blood donor ambassadors like Lori to help out at blood drives across Idaho and Montana. If you’re interested, visit redcross.org/volunteer to complete your application. To learn more or if you have questions, please reach out to our team at IDMT.Recruiting@redcross.org.
