Molino’s ‘Vampire Ladies’ Lead Northview Student To First Blood Donation

October 27, 2010


One Northview High School sophomore used his day of school on Monday to become a blood donor for the very first time — thanks, in part, to the “Vampire Ladies” of his childhood.

Zac Cole, 16, said had looked forward to the day since elementary school. While Cole was a student at Molino Elementary School, then-Principal Dale Cooey and group of parents known as the “Vampire Ladies” created a program to teach students the importance of giving blood.

After the September 11 tragedy, Molino Park held blood drives, encouraged students to recruit adult donors all while teaching the students about blood donations.

“These first students that were taught about blood donation are now old enough to donate themselves. They no longer have to be recruiters. They can now be someone else’s hero,” said Zac’s mom Peggy.

Zac, his mom and cousin Heath Cole visited Northwest Florida Blood Services in Pensacola Monday morning so Zac could make his first blood donation.

“That was easier than I thought it would be,” Zac said about giving blood on his day out of school.

Zac will be eligible to donate blood again on December 20; just in time to “give the gift of life” for Christmas, he said.

For more information on Northwest Florida Blood Services, click here.  The Bloodmobile will be in North Escambia on Saturday, November 6 beginning at 11 a.m. for the annual Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department Catfish Fry.

Pictured top: Heath Cole (left) and Zac Cole pose with a new Kia Soul being given away by Northwest Florida Blood Services to one lucky donor. Pictured inset: Zac Cole makes his first blood donation.

Comments

10 Responses to “Molino’s ‘Vampire Ladies’ Lead Northview Student To First Blood Donation”

  1. UWF Engineering Student on October 29th, 2010 12:33 am

    This is great to hear. I always donate blood once I become eligible every 8 weeks, and I always try to motivate one more person to join this helping cause. It’s simple, and its saving lives. Just think of how many lives you can save every 8 weeks for the rest of your life! Thanks for spreading the word, Zac!

  2. one of the vampire ladies on October 27th, 2010 9:42 pm

    Congratulations Zac!

  3. hey on October 27th, 2010 7:27 pm

    Aww zac glad to see your making a difference

  4. Mrs. Hatch on October 27th, 2010 7:17 pm

    GREAT JOB! We need to start a new group of “Vampire Ladies & Gentleman” at Molino Park.

  5. always bizzie on October 27th, 2010 7:06 pm

    If you are a student that learned about blood donation from the Vampire Ladies and are now donating, please respond! Silent Heroes let your voices be heard.

  6. Dale Cooey on October 27th, 2010 12:46 pm

    Way to go Zac, I’m so proud of you! Many thanks to the “Vampire Ladies” of Molino Elementary for teaching us the importance of giving blood.

  7. Ginger on October 27th, 2010 11:54 am

    Awesome Zac……were very proud of you!!!

  8. Northwest Florida Blood Services on October 27th, 2010 8:47 am

    Thank you for donating blood Zac! We look forward to seeing you again soon. This article is great! We posted it to our facebook page (click to visit).

  9. Betty on October 27th, 2010 8:11 am

    Way to Go Zac! If not for all the work his Mom, Peggy, and others, put into the blood drives at Molino Park, the children this age would not have a clue about blood donations. Getting them involved with the drives helped a lot.

    Thanks Zac and Peggy!

  10. Genny Clark on October 27th, 2010 7:15 am

    Congrats Zac….may it be the first of many….the gift of life..