Former ABC7 employees help save lives with American Red Cross after retirement

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Great Chicago Blood Drive is just days away! And two former ABC7 employees are using their retirement time to make a major impact across the Chicago area.

The duo now works for the American Red Cross.

The American Red Cross says it needs blood donors right now.

The holiday season and bitter winter cold made a big impact on how many units it could collect. Now, the supply is low, which means less access to lifesaving blood.

The American Red Cross has hundreds of donors, but these two are extra-special to the ABC 7 Chicago family. Jackie Denn and Manoocher Shadnia were long time photojournalists here at the station, until they made a big leap.

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"I decided that I was going to retire and then I talked Manooch into retiring because he's a tiny bit older than I am," Denn said.

Retirement doesn't always mean you stop working.

"Just to then spend the rest of my time doing something meaningful for other people than just, you know, learning bridge or playing pickleball --l which I also do," Denn said.

The two are now Red Cross Biomedical Transportation Specialists.

"I've been doing it almost a year plus, every Tuesday," said Manoocher Shadnia, an American Red Cross volunteer,

Sometimes, it just means your priorities shift.

"Not only am I a volunteer for Red Cross, I'm a blood donor. I give platelets," Shadnia said.

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As volunteers, the duo picks up blood and delivers it to hospitals where the need is critical. A job that may seem small, but has the ability to change lives.

"It's a great way of giving back," Shadnia said.

And the work isn't too different from what they used to do at ABC7.

"Just was talking to him about things that I was doing in my retirement and said I think you'd enjoy doing this because a lot of what we did at work was drive around and talk to people we didn't really know," Denn said.

From covering the Great Chicago Blood Drive for news, to volunteering to help at one, this duo is still working to serve the people of Chicago.

Denn and Shadnia both said giving blood is important and they're glad they can be part of the process.

The two-day Great Chicago Blood Drive event is scheduled for January 11 and 12, with seven locations across the city. If you'd like to sign up, click here.