Eric Schlesinger has been volunteering with the American Red Cross since he was a freshman at
Temple University in Philadelphia. His fraternity sponsored the campus blood drive and Eric took
the lead. He even served on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia American Red Cross chapter
during his senior year!
Mr. Schleslinger has lived in Silver Spring since 1974 and has worked at Georgetown University
and Catholic University (where he got his doctorate) for seven years each. Eric currently works at
the World Bank where he has held Human Resources positions for the past seventeen years.
Despite his busy schedule, Eric has found time to volunteer at the Rockville Donor Center every
third Saturday since 1997. His favorite aspect of volunteering is working with first-time donors
who may be nervous about giving blood:
“I try to make them feel comfortable, explaining everything that will happen, answering
their questions, and usually joking with them to keep their mind at ease. When they
move from the donor room to the canteen and they are all smiles for having given blood
for the first time, I can smile with them.”
When he’s not working or volunteering, Mr. Schlesinger and his wife, Shari, enjoy “theater, movies
and travel.” Eric participates in charity runs and does carpentry work on his house. He also enjoys
spending time with his cat, Suki.
Congratulations to Eric Schlesinger, our Volunteer of the Month for May 2012!
