My First Time by Kattina Charbonneau

“Blood; it's in you to give.”

I have heard the radio commercial hundreds of times. I know that my blood is type-O, which means that I can help lots of people. However, I couldn't get over the fear of needles and passing out.

Last Saturday everything changed.

There's a family I have known since I was 5. Many of them donate blood on a regular basis. The youngest member just started his first year of university and he applied for a bursary from Canadian Blood Services. He needed at least 20 donors, 5 of which had to be new. I thought that this would be a perfect way for me to help him out and try donating blood!

His family hosted a huge breakfast for those who were going to the clinic. As a precaution, I decided to have french toast, a pancake, 1/4 piece of waffle, a piece of bacon, a few sausages and some fruit. I don't usually get to have all those wonderful breakfast items in one sitting – but I wasn't planning on passing out!

As we arrived and checked in, I was pretty nervous. The finger prick test didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, and my iron levels were good. After filling out the questionnaire and going through the screening process, I was quickly escorted to the donating station. I had some juice and then sat down in the chair. The nurse was so nice and before I knew it the needle was in. It was a little uncomfortable, but it wasn't as terrible as I imagined.

I found out some neat things while the nurse was taking the blood samples. She said that the blood I donated, (provided it passed the necessary screening tests), would be used at a local hospital within 72 hours.

Local hospital.

72 hours.

Wow. Some of the supply is used for pre-booked surgeries, however the rest is in case of emergency. I never considered blood donation to invoke such a sense of community for me.

The average adult has about 10 pints of blood in their body, and each blood donation is approximately 1 pint. Every 8 weeks your body replenishes the lost blood, and you're good to go again. It's a natural process, and it doesn't cost you anything.

In 1 hour you can literally save the life of someone in your community. The actual donation is less than 20 minutes. (I was 10 min. 18 sec...first time donors take a bit longer, which is normal). It takes an average of 5 units, or donations, for a cancer treatment or cardiovascular surgery. For someone who has been in an automobile accident, 50 units are required.

After finishing the donation you get to chill out with a friendly volunteer while enjoying a complimentary drink and snack! Overall the experience was wonderful. I really loved going with a group of friends and family to help others in our community. We had a great time visiting and sharing lots of laughs!

If you would like more information, check out www.blood.ca. To book an appointment you can call 1-888-2-DONATE. I'm going back in October if you would like to join me!

Clothing for a Cause

If you are citizen of Guelph, a Guelphite if you will, you may notice some of the many things around town that Guelph is quite proud of. Not proud in a bad way, but proud for good reason. For example, we have the Guelph Farmer's Market where local farmers and artisans sell their products. We have the new and improved Market Square in front of the newly improved City Hall. The Market Square hosts community events that are fun for the whole family and bring a positive vibe to a downtown night-time experience. We also have a number of beautiful parks and green-spaces that preserve the natural beauty of our fine city.

But now Guelph has the opportunity to be proud of something else. I say opportunity because there is a chance people could take this new addition for granted and fail to take advantage of what it offers. I'm talking about Downtown's second newest tenant, Grey Rock Clothing Co. It's located on Quebec Street, just a few doors down from the Bookshelf.

Why be proud of a clothing store?

Well, Grey Rock Clothing Co., or, Grey Rock, as the kids say, is a completely sweat shop free clothing store. That means all of the clothing sold was made with by the hands of folks who earn a fair wage for the work they do. It also means your new plaid shirt and slim fitting pants won't have the sweat of children unnoticeably infused into the fabric.

Grey Rock operates with the axiom “You can change the world with your everyday purchases”. They let us know the importance of equality among labourers and consumers.

They carry brands like Elroy, Indigenous Designs, PACT, Jedidiah, and Oliberte and each of these brands carries a unique and often inspiring story. You may not have heard of these brands, but it's time you did your research because not only are they globally conscious, they also make some pretty nice clothes.

I would like to stress again that Grey Rock's presence in Guelph is an opportunity for Guelph. If we want it to stick around we need to support the cause. Not the cause of nice clothes and Downtown boutiques, but the cause of equality and the cause of human rights. It's really nice for folks to talk about how great brands are for being fair trade or sweatshop free, but if we as the consumers don't get behind them by choosing their product over another.
Purchasing fair trade, sweatshop and child labour free items may not be the cheapest option for some, but it is always less costly for others. Sweatshop produced clothing comes with a much higher price than what is found on the tag.
So this Saturday (September 6th) get downtown and meet Grey Rock's owner Beth Timlin, she's got a heart of gold and a wicked smile. Grey Rock will be serving cupcakes and there will be special gifts for people who spend $60+ in celebration of their grand opening!

For more information on Grey Rock and what they're doing to make the world a better place, you can check out their website, and even follow Beth on Twitter @GreyRockCo