Lauderdale Lakes, FL – American Institute School of Health Careers invited the Broward Community Blood Centers of Florida, Inc. onto campus to support their initiative and to allow them to recruit students as bone marrow donors.  The Blood Bank staff was on campus Monday December 20, 2010 at 6pm.  In addition to taking donations, they used the assistance of students to help take the bone marrow donations from the American Institute student volunteers.  An Outreach Representative from the Blood Bank also educated all of the students on bone marrow and the importance of having a large pool of donors. The Broward Community Blood Center of Florida, Inc. is a local organization that provides the community with the highest quality blood and blood banking services at a reasonable cost.  The Blood Center operates 15 donor centers which are conveniently located throughout South Florida.  For more information about the Blood Center you can visit: www.cbcsf.org. Several students from the Medical Assistant and Medical Office Administrator program volunteered their time to assist in making the event successful.  They received great field training and experience while they participated in a great cause with a great organization. Richard McCulloch, Campus President of American Institute School of Health Careers said, “Our student volunteers were excited to work with the staff from the Blood Bank.  They were eager to learn about bone marrow donation, and to assist in the process.  Learning to complete donor applications and collecting swabs from each applicant for blood typing/cross matching is really great field experience for our students.  In addition, I would like to thank the Blood Bank and the staff for all that they do to make a difference every day.  Bone marrow donations truly save lives, and for that reason alone their efforts are extraordinary.” Randy Proto, CEO of American Institute added, “I have seen firsthand that bone marrow donations can save lives, and I believe that a bone marrow donation is one of the most exceptional gifts one human being can give to another.  I applaud the efforts of American Institute School of Health Careers for bringing such a great organization to campus and to all the student donors, congratulations on truly giving the gift of life.  And to our students who were not donors but who assisted in the process, congratulations to all of you too.  I hope you have learned that being part of the process for which you are training makes you invaluable to our healthcare system.”