Working on Saturdays sounds like a drag, but this past weekend - my second on the job - I got to see some of Lansdale's love in action. I covered "Matthew Knoebel's Blood and Platelet Drive Bash," and was inspired by the scene. 

Matthew Knoebel is a 13-year-old who is battling AML Lukemia. Ever since he was diagnosed in October, Matthew's been in the hospital. Released just a week ago for a short break before another five-six week stint at CHOP, Knoebel got to spend his birthday at home and even found time to host a community blood drive.

Inspired by acts of love around them, including efforts to raise funds to help the family with medical bills, Knoebel and his parents hosted a blood and platelet drive as a way to "pay it forward."

Matthew high-fives his mom, as she finishes donating blood at the drive.

As a part of this blog, I will be volunteering throughout the community and writing about my experiences. To start off this effort, I donated blood at the drive on Saturday.

Sorry for not smiling - donating blood isn't always the most fun experience!

This Saturday, I plan on attending Manna on Main Street's Volunteer orientation at 1:30 p.m. Located right in downtown Lansdale, Manna is a soup kitchen and food cupboard that serves people in need in the North Penn area. In order to volunteer, you must attend a volunteer orientation. If you aren't free on Saturday, there is another Thursday, January 24 at 5:30 p.m. Hope to see you all there!

I am still looking for stories of volunteers and their service in the Lansdale area to highlight on this blog - email submissions to me at jconnor@journalregister.com.