NC State students, faculty members, staff and visitors collected 1,050 pints of blood at the fifth annual Service NC State Blood Drive Friday, missing its goal to collect more than 5,000 pints in five years by 106 pints and collecting about 55 pints less than last year’s drive.
“The Service NC State Blood Drive is a large-scale event that brings the NC State community together,” said Student Body President Rusty Mau. “It demonstrates the Wolfpack’s commitment to giving back.”
Mau said the university should be proud of the drive’s potential to save an estimated 3,150 lives with the amount of blood collected.
“I eagerly await our future efforts coordinated through Service NC State,” Mau said. “In this case, we proved the Wolfpack is out for blood!”
Students, faculty, staff and members of the general public filed into the collection center located on the basketball courts one through eight at Carmichael Gymnasium and awaited their turn to give blood.
“Find a friend to go with,” said Megan Lord, a senior in animal science who said she donates blood several times a year. “Save lives, [eat] free food [and receive a] free shirt. It’s a great atmosphere.”
To be eligible to donate blood, participants must be at least 17 years old, in good health, feeling well and weigh at least 110 pounds, according to the Red Cross.
Some participants found themselves ineligible to donate due to prior travels or low levels of certain vitamins and minerals in their blood.
“The challenge for many students, including myself, is our frequency of international travel often prevents us from donating,” Mau said.
Mau said it is important to donate blood whenever one is eligible and healthy enough to do so.
“For every pint donated, up to three lives are saved,” Mau said. “Donating blood is a simple form of service that satisfies a critical need in our community.”
If a donor has been deferred in the past, a quick evaluation during the drive can determine if the person is eligible to donate now, according to the Red Cross.
Volunteers and Red Cross staff helped donors sign up and navigate the before, during and after donation sections of the gym. Volunteers offered encouragement and gratitude to the donors, especially if they expressed apprehension about the donation process.
After donating, Eric Meehan, a junior in civil engineering and first-time donor said donating blood was worth the experience.
“Honestly, it doesn’t hurt,” Meehan said. “You get more out of it than you put into it.”
After completing their donations, participants were able to relax at tables filled with chips, cookies and other snacks. Volunteers circulated the room, offering drinks and making sure everyone was feeling okay.
Anna Lamm, a Staff Senate employee, decided to donate for a third time at this event.
“The staff was very friendly,” Lamm said. “The volunteers were there to help me. It was a great Wolfpack teambuilding event.”
While relaxing and rehydrating, Audrey Sam, a freshman in life sciences and first-time donor, said she thought the event was a quick and easy way to give back.
“I thought I was going to pass out, but it was good,” Sam said.
From 2010-2013, NC State’s annual blood drives donated a total of 3,844 pints, according to the Service NC State blood drive’s website.
