NAVAIR has a new advocate promoting the Armed Services Blood Program here, 12-year-old Leya Essex, of California, Md.
Essex reached her goal and registered 80 donors Aug. 2 during the quarterly blood drive at the NAVAIR Headquarters building. Her interest in forensic medicine and health drew her to promote the blood drive to fulfill a community service requirement for her bat-mitzvah.
"It's a great cause," she said. "There are a lot of wounded soldiers and troops out there who need blood."
After coordinating with the ASBP at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., and the Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, Essex posted flyers at heavily trafficked areas on base, and had announcements placed in the Tester and on www.Facebook.com/NASPaxRiver.
Hospital Corpsman Petty Officer 2nd Class Tashia Blue, team lead for the drive, said they collected blood from 55 donors in four hours. Pax blood drives average about 50 donors per quarter, Blue said.
Her father, Joe Essex, integrated program team lead for Navigation Systems in Air Combat Electronics Program Office (PMA-209), made initial contact with the coordinators and handled transportation.
