“We can react in a lot of ways. We can react in anger or we can react by doing.”
This is a statement that we try to live by at Starttech. And it’s the reason why we’re delighted to announce the 2nd Volunteer Blood Drive for our employees and members of our Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.
Poignant timing
Sadly, we can’t take credit for the particular aforementioned quote. But we certainly admire it. The statement is in fact the heartfelt words of Ian, a Manchester resident. He was interviewed outside a blood donation center, on the morning after last month’s deadly terrorist attack.
The timing of our second round of blood donating could not be more poignant, if unintentional. It comes in the wake of the callous act of terror by suicide bomber Salman Ramadan Abedi. He caused the deaths of 22 people and injured a further 116, at an Ariana Grande concert.
While the event left families devastated, it highlighted the importance of donating blood, and the indomitable power of the human spirit.
Health authorities were overwhelmed with the response of locals eager to give blood. There were 100 people lined up, before the main blood bank in Manchester was even open, the day after the attack. These were people who wanted to make a difference for their fellow citizens, in whatever way they could.
A tearful Ian, whose interview became popular around the world, added:
“Why did I stay in his city for 17 years? This city is a community. I don’t care who you believe in, where you’re from. This city is for everybody and we all need to rally around today to show support because they want to divide us. They want us to turn on our neighbors and it will never happen.”
Ian is an inspiration to all that’s good about humanity. He is, in essence, the definition of making a difference.
Our second Blood Drive
As many of our stakeholders experienced, the first time round in January, the process of donating blood is a matter of around 15 minutes of one’s time. It’s also practically painless, and extremely important. From the 20 volunteers last time, we collected 48 units of blood and plasma – meaning that up to 48 people were helped by our initiative.
Our second blood drive is scheduled for Friday, June 9 – 10:00 AM and 13:30 PM at our Athens office.
We want to reiterate that businesses, including tech startups, don’t operate in a bubble. We leverage a lot of what our state and our society provide us with. From the basic public infrastructure that we rely on, to the schools and universities that trained our engineers.
We should be giving back at every chance we get.
And with this responsibility in mind, we’d like to invite startups, incubators and colleagues from the tech industry to devote a small slice of their work day to join us once again in this vital initiative.
Remember, giving blood is giving life.
