man on stretcher giving blood with two female attendants

Hawaii Betsuin President Arthur Nakagawa was among the 117 participants in the 2014 Betsuin blood drive. Participants included Betsuin and other ministers, members of the Betsuin, and members of affiliated organizations such as BWA, Scouts, and Hongwanji Mission School. Photo by Ruth Tokumi.

And they are excellent!

Jonette Correia, Field Representative for the Blood Bank of Hawaii, has sent us results from the recent Hawaii Betsuin Blood Drive.

Pints collected: 95
Total participants: 117
First-time donors: 31
Lives impacted: 285

Jonette’s email was effusive with praise for the Betsuin and these blood drive results. She noted that getting 31 first-time donors was unheard-of! Of the 95 pints collected, 66 were blood type A+ and O+ where there was a critical need, and another 4 were rare blood types.

Kudos to Miki Saito, Cheryl Sora, and Jovie Yoshioka for coordinating this highly successful event!

“You give others a chance to live, to see brighter days and most of all you give them hope!” wrote Jonette. “Words cannot express our gratitude! From the patients and families of Hawaii, we LOVE YOU!!!!”