A Close-Up Look At People Who Matter : Volunteer Pair Ease Way for Blood Donors

Mark Terry, the president of a Northridge manufacturing company, was the first to donate blood there Tuesday morning and be met by Harold Hoaglan.

“The whole reason I came was for the cookies,” said Terry, lighter by about a pint of blood. “I wanted to be one of the first to do it to set the example. Everyone can find an excuse not to do it.”

As he would for dozens of other donors at this American Red Cross drive, Hoaglan pointed out the oatmeal cookies, the apple, grape and tropical-blend juices and also poured a glass of water for Terry.

Meanwhile, at the beginning of the line, Alice Stone greeted blood donors, checked names and explained the registration form.

Stone, 74, and Hoaglan, 78, have volunteered together at the American Red Cross for 13 years. They met years ago after each of their spouses died, Hoaglan said, and now share a home in a Sylmar trailer park. Hoaglan was the first to volunteer, then persuaded Stone to join him.

“Alice could be surrounded by 50 high school kids and always keeps her cool,” said Barbara Jones, a head nurse who works with the pair twice a week at blood drives.

In June, the couple received the Lorraine Spillner Award--named for a 40-year Red Cross volunteer.

“So many of us start a drive with the hope that Harold and Alice will be there,” said Sharon Manatt, volunteer coordinator for Red Cross blood services in the San Fernando Valley.

“When Harold and Alice walk in the door, you know you’re in good shape,” Jones said.

The pair say the work is much easier than their previous jobs. Hoaglan is a retired Lockheed test flight mechanic who worked on aircraft from the P-38 in World War II to the U-2. Stone is a retired Denny’s waitress.

She prefers the volunteer work: “Sometimes in waitressing, people are hard to please.”

As volunteers, Hoaglan and Stone see a lot more smiles than frowns. Hoaglan gets positive feedback, especially from the nurses and Red Cross staff with whom he works.

“One of the things about volunteering is you have to enjoy what you do,” he said. “The fact that they appreciate what you are doing makes it better.”

To Linda Goss, field representative for the Red Cross Donor Resources Development, pleasant volunteers like Stone and Hoaglan help keep donors coming back. “We want people to have a good experience when they come here,” Goss said.

“Some people are afraid,” Stone said. “I just tell them, ‘It’ll be OK. It’s a normal thing.’ ”

Unfortunately, Goss said, fewer than 3% of area residents donate, causing an average of 40% of the blood used here daily to be imported from other areas.

“The big thing that really hurts us is that people are confused,” said Goss. “Some people still think you can get AIDS by donating blood.”

For more information on how to donate blood, call (800) GIVE-LIFE. For information on becoming an American Red Cross volunteer, call (818) 376-1700.

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