Abdelsalam Abugharara
Volunteer
St. John’s, N.L.
"What I do matters because I cannot donate blood every week, so I need to find a way to do something for those in need of blood more often. By volunteering, I can chat with donors, thank them and feel that I provided help somehow."
When you’re doing a PhD in oil and gas engineering (in a different language than your own) and you have a wife, two young children and another on the way, you may think there’s little room left in your life to volunteer. However, Abdelsalam makes time to do it anyway.
Abdel believes supporting Canada’s Lifeline is “the most effective investment in your life” — and has made good on that investment.
In fact, in less than one year of volunteering, he gave more than 100 hours of his limited time to support donation and blood typing events; promote blood donation in the community through Memorial University’s Muslim Student Association and on social media (bringing in 30 donors); and assist in his school’s “MUNblood Club.” Today, Abdelsalam volunteers weekly at the St. John’s blood donor centre.
