Volunteer Spotlight — Jennifer Harris
It’s time for your winter Volunteer Spotlight! Stanford Blood Center (SBC) is incredibly thankful for our volunteers, who play a very important role in our health care community. It is our pleasure to introduce one of our wonderful helpers, Jennifer Harris.
Why do you volunteer at SBC?
I believe in the importance of volunteering and have volunteered at SBC for over 14 years. I am also an active whole blood donor. I look forward to spending every Friday afternoon at the Blood Center. I also volunteer for the Bay Area Funeral Consumers Association and the Sequoias of Portola Valley, where I live.
What is your favorite thing about volunteering?
The interesting donors I meet. A few come in on Friday afternoons because they know I will be there. I have shared very sad and very happy moments with them while volunteering. Each week is a new experience.
What are your hobbies/pleasures in life?
Spending time with my daughters and their husbands, knitting, playing bridge, genealogical research, regular exercise programs, discussion groups. I am never bored.
Where did you grow up?
Berkeley.
What is one thing that would surprise someone to learn about you?
I taught secondary school science for 23 years, including one year in Lusaka, Zambia. In 1986, I received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching for California.
Do you have an anecdote or story you have learned from a donor at SBC that really moved you?
One afternoon, a woman sat down, took a call on her cell phone and started crying. I asked if I could help, and she said, “No. My sister just found out that she does not have cancer.” She had been crying tears of joy. I was relieved. That was the most emotional day I have ever had at the Blood Center.