Special Publications - Living Here - Living Here_People

POSTED: Sunday, Mar. 30, 2008

Jon Ahrenholz, supervisor, Puget Sound Blood Center

Name: Jon Ahrenholz.

Age: 32.

Job: Supervisor/phlebotomist at Puget Sound Blood Center.

How long: 10 years, two as supervisor.

Background: Pre-med at Dordt College in Iowa on a soccer scholarship. Moved to the Northwest from California at age 14 and never looked back.

Most frequent questions: "Does it hurt?" and "Do I get paid?"

Most unusual question: "How big is the needle?"

Helpful thought: "It's pretty much all about customer service. You're trying to make people feel comfortable, because you're using a big needle to draw blood."

Point of view: "(Donors) are doing a great service to the community. It really builds a sense of community that you're helping someone you don’t know or you'll never know."