10 of 30 Trained and a Successful Drive

In an effort to strengthen South Ambergris Caye, Mahogany Bay Village has pledged to have 30 staff trained in 3 First Aid sessions. As of Tuesday November 22nd, 10 newly qualified Red Cross first responders are now onsite to assist visitors at Mahogany Bay and in the island community at large. The second group of 10 is scheduled to receive training December 6th and the last shortly after.All will be trained in First Aid, CPR and the newly added AED (Automated External Defibrillator) utilization.

Belize Red Cross San Pedro (BRCSP) has been providing First Aid training to all the citizens, organizations and businesses of San Pedro since November 2013 for a nominal fee. This year our certified instructors were able to train many teachers, firefighters and youths of the island due to the generous contributions from sponsors. Two (that we know of) of our skilled first aiders have saved lives since 2013.

San Pedro Red Cross mission statement is “Changing History through Saving Lives and Helping the Community”. The most important people to help are those who can’t help themselves, or need stress relief caused by illness – be it personal or someone you care for. Quarterly blood drives are held in an effort to have a reserve on hand so no one will ever have to worry about where the blood will come from during a time of need. We encourage people to pay it forward with a pint when possible, having family donate or spreading the word.

Last Quarterly Blood Drive

As much as we like to plan in advance, sometimes there is just no way around it and the blood drive this past Saturday November 26th was one of those cases. We were all super excited to get our first 10 pints within the first hour and a half. Over the course of the day we collected 16 pints – enough to save 48 lives. One of our donors was someone paying it forward for a family member.

For those that did not want to give blood but still wanted to help, the board organized a Dollar Drive & collected $205 from our charity minded Ambergris Caye community.

San Pedro Red Cross sends a big thank you to our sponsors who helped make this possible:

• Tropic Air for always being helpful in transporting Belize Blood Services staff and the liquid gold.
• Brooklyn Bros. Bagel Shop for providing delicious bagels and scrumptious spreads.
• Mermaid store for Orange Juice.
• Dr Otto Rodriguez Polyclinic for a full day use of the clinic.

SPBRC would also like to thank Belize Blood Bank, Marisa Salazar for making lunch and all volunteers that came out to help.

Next Drive

Our Next Scheduled Blood Drive is February 25th. 2017

If you have never done it, but are thinking of giving blood, the experience is a very painless one. There is rarely a line, check in is fast and there are always delicious snacks and a juice waiting for you after you donate.

If you have previously donated please keep in mind that we are still a growing country and that this is reflective in our screening process and procedures.

Think R-E-D before you donate – Rest well, Eat and Drink healthy. We ask that people refrain from medications 72 hours prior to donating; with your doctor’s permission.

Get Training or Learn More

If you would like to find out more about how you or your staff can participate in becoming First Aid/CPR/AED certified, please contact us at info.brcsp@gmail.com and like our facebook page to stay up to date.

San Pedro Red Cross is always looking for volunteers and those who are willing to share information on the work we are doing in the community. If you would like to know more about what we do and how you can become involved, please attend one of our General Meetings held at Crazy Canucks on the last Friday of every month, starting at 6:00.

Please like Belize Red Cross San Pedro facebook page in support of our hard work.