Wittenberg is a campus full of big hearts; hearts that are willing to donate their blood. Recently Wittenberg was awarded a Silver Blood Donor award for the amount of blood it donates over the course of a year.
To reach this achievement, an institution must host three blood drives a year and reach an individual goal of donated pints. This year, Wittenberg’s goal is to donate 42 pints of blood with 60 appointments. These standards are set by the Community Blood Center (CBC), an organization located in western Ohio and eastern Indiana that provides blood components, laboratory services, transfusion medicine, and other equipment required to run a blood drive safely. In the past, many organizations on campus have sponsored blood drives including Student Senate, Student-Athletic Advisory Committe (SAAC), Panhellinc Council, and Interfraternity Council.
Wittenberg’s Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council have been using the Springfield locations with their blood drives because of the low cost and ease of use. Whitney Koelling, Vice President Philanthropy for Panhellenic Association, stated that the organization continues to host blood drives because students always help them to meet their goals and because the blood goes to a good cause.
“The frequency of blood drives show how much we care about helping others in the area in more ways than one,” said Koelling.
The Community Blood Center stated that it is extremely important for those who are able to give blood to do so because blood is needed in hospitals every two seconds. Only 37 percent of the country’s population is eligible to give blood, however less than ten percent do so annually. For this reason, the CBC highly encourages healthy students to donate. In addition, all blood drives on Wittenberg’s campus provide donors snacks and treats after they give their donation. This helps the donors bring up their blood sugar and regain energy.
“This is a real honor for Wittenberg, in my opinion, because it shows how dedicated students are to helping others as we meet our blood drive goals,” said Koelling. “Wittenberg always has a good turnout for community service and philanthropic events and these events are a part of that.”
As Wittenberg works towards its goal, keep in mind that you must be in good health to donate your blood. Those interested in donating should visit the Community Blood Center website and must be at least 110 pounds. Keep in mind that you must wait eight weeks after your last donation to donate again. Before donating, be sure to get a good night of sleep, drink lots of fluids, and eat a nourishing meal. Visit the Community Blood Center’s website for more information.
