For some VCU students, generosity runs in their blood. Stirred by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, an ailing loved one or good will, they stood in line for as long as an hour to donate blood at Alpha Phi Omega’s two-day drive last week.
The event, co-sponsored by Virginia Blood Services, raised 138 pints of blood.
For the first 250 pints of blood donated in the region Sept. 6, VBS earmarked $2,500 – $10 per pint – for a hurricane relief fund.
As the radio played in the background, students waiting their turn in the navy blue lounge chairs chattered anxiously and chowed down on free snacks and drinks. Marking their generosity, students donned a blue or red bandage on their pricked arm.
One of the nervous ones, Anthony Santiago, a sophomore theater performance major, rolled up his sleeve after seeing on TV the devastation wrought by Katrina. Although it was his first time giving blood, APO’s drive wasn’t his first choice. He and his girlfriend came because the local Red Cross chapter was not accepting blood donations at the time, he said.
Rachel Ogburn, a first-year student in the Arts Foundation Program, came dressed for the event. Wearing a red and white striped shirt, cherry-colored sandals and a crimson bandage where a nurse drew blood from her arm, the 17-year-old expressed the thrill of doing a good deed.
“It’s really gratifying. You get to save lives,” she said with a wide smile.
No longer a first-timer, Ogburn said she’s planning to donate again at APO’s next drive in November, which falls on her birthday.
Kenneisha Harwood, a first-year biology premedicine major, brought a less obliging friend along for support. She had wanted to donate blood since high school, but the parental consent forms, which she often lost, made it difficult, she explained.
“Plus, I like helping people,” she added.
Before the event, many people signed up on the VBS Web site, while some walked in. To donate blood, students had to show a valid ID with their age, fill out a questionnaire and pass a short screening.
But not all with good intentions got a chance to give. One rule stipulates that donors must weigh at least 110 pounds to participate. Lightweight Emily Yeatts, a first-year English and political science major, had to sit this one out.
While persistent at first, Yeatts backed down after the collections manager informed her that underweight donors risked blacking out, getting sick or suffering organ failure.
“I would’ve liked to have done it because it’s a nice thing to do,” the 18-year-old said, “but I wouldn’t have wanted to get sick.”
Tzeira Creditor, chair of the APO blood drive, was in the same boat. The petite business administration and management major said she considered the drive important because some of her family members have needed blood transfusions.
Event organizers early in the day saw several students pass out after they gave blood. Elizabeth Meade, a senior public relations major and APO member, attributed it to students skipping breakfast before they arrived.
She advised future donors to relax since having an elevated pulse is one of the disqualifying factors. Meade also suggested eating a big, iron-packed breakfast or dinner the night before and to not exercise after donating blood.