BJU will host The Blood Connection next week, giving each donor the opportunity to save up to three lives by making a blood donation.
From Monday, March 6, to Friday, March 10, The Blood Connection buses will be open for donations from 11:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day.
All blood donation participants will receive a $10 Walmart gift card.
Along with the gift card, returning donors can bring their TBC card along with them to gain points that are redeemable for online rewards.
This semester, however, there will be an added incentive to donate.
Since the blood drive falls on Bruins Daze, participating teams will compete to donate the most blood. The men’s and women’s societies will be divided into four teams—red, blue, green and white.
Team members who donate blood will score points for their respective team. At the end of the week, the points will be tallied up and added to each team’s cumulative points from other activities.
Sarah-Paige Guerrant, a sophomore nursing student coordinating the blood drive, encouraged people to come prepared with student ID card and TBC donor card.
“As a nursing student working in a hospital, I’ve seen all these patients who need help and giving blood is a really great way to help them,” Guerrant said.
In the U.S., someone is in need of blood every two seconds. According to The Blood Connection, for every one person donating blood, up to three lives can be saved.
Red blood cells can be stored for only 42 days, and yet the need is immense. Consistent donors are needed to keep up with this life-altering demand.
For some students, it’s more than the $10 gift card, sugary snacks or “vein-glory.”
“It’s a great way to touch someone’s life in some small way,” said Kenrick Wong, a sophomore business administration major.
Wong first donated last semester and plans to continue donating.
If you are unable to help with this blood drive, Guerrant encouraged students to look into the community for more outreach opportunities.
“It’s so easy to get involved if you just go out and look into the community,” Guerrant said.
In fact, along with the blood drive, the SLC is giving students another opportunity to reach the community during Bruins Daze.
From March 6 to 11, the SLC is partnering with the Harvest Hope Food Bank and Bi-Lo with the goal to raise 1,000 canned foods, toiletries and dry goods.
Community Service Council director Joshua Strubel stressed the importance of holding this food drive.
“Most of these places have a surplus of food around Christmas and Thanksgiving because everyone donates, but around March and April they start to run out,” Strubel said.
The items needed will be canned vegetables and meats, peanut butter, beans, toiletries and dry goods.
Pick-up locations will be in The Den, the dining common and the Center for Global Opportunities.