Jennifer McNalley
Peer Recruiter
Spruce Grove, Alta.
"I still smile about the impact that event for Charles had in terms of blood collections. That by far was the proudest moment of my life."
In July 2017, Jennifer’s coworker, Charles, was in a serious farming accident. As a paramedic and knowing he would need many transfusions, Jennifer reached out to Canadian Blood Services looking for a way she could help.
“I figured if I could recruit 20 people to donate blood, that would be a great way to support the system that was helping Charles,” she says. But Jennifer’s efforts went above and beyond: in four days, she recruited more than 140 people to donate in Charles’ honour.
Today, Jennifer is an instructor for the Advanced Care Paramedic program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton and has integrated blood donation into the community service part of her curriculum. Each year, her students adopt, promote, volunteer at and run a blood donation event. This event has been immensely successful, with Jennifer and her students excitedly recruiting more donors than available appointments.
An incredibly passionate advocate for Canada’s Lifeline, Jennifer continues to recruit donors in the health-care and educational community, as well as through local media.
