After hearing about the shootings that took place in Arizona, I couldn’t help but wonder what I could to help these victims and families out. Tragedies such as these are a nationwide problem: it happened in Arizona, but it could have happened right here in our own backyard.

Then the idea of donating blood came to mind. It may sound strange, but I needed to do something that involved action on my part. The next thought was to donate blood with my husband. 

Then I thought: why not try to do it one evening after work or on Saturday afternoon as a date? It’s free, it’s simple and you get complimentary juice, crackers and cookies afterward. 

I found a donation center right here in Centreville called CentreMed. To make it a date this Friday evening, there's also a blood drive being held in Virginia Run in support of Alex Nieves, a local college student who has leukemia.

Our blood donations "can make the difference in the life of a cancer patient, a newborn suffering from complications, or a man, woman, or youngster who has lost blood from an injury, surgery, or organ transplant," as it says on inova.org.  I cannot think of a better way to spend an evening with the one you love then doing something that helps save lives.

CentreMed is open Tuesday through Thursday noon to 8 p.m, Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. The blood drive in Virginia Run this Friday will take place from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Click on the links for addresses and more details.