Arizona State University’s Programming and Activities Board is partnering with the Barrett Leadership and Service Team Downtown to host a blood drive on the Downtown campus Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to benefit United Blood Services of Arizona.
The drive will service the 54 hospitals in Arizona that use the blood transfusions for patients in need, said Sue Thew, the public and media relations representative from United Blood Services, which has six donor centers throughout the Valley.
The demand for blood is constant, said Thew of the approximately 700 daily donors that are necessary in order to maintain a sufficient blood supply.
Jennifer Valenzuela, a nonprofit leadership and management sophomore and PAB director of administration, said she is looking forward to the Downtown campus’s first blood drive.
“PAB is known to program huge events. It’s a smaller event, but I think it’s an awesome way for ASU students to give back,” Valenzuela said. “(The) Downtown (campus) has students that need to be recognized. There are students that want to give back to the community.”
The blood drive is a part of PAB’s Spring Festival Week that is taking place the first full week in April.
Through the public blood drive, PAB hopes to encourage Sun Devil spirit and enhance community engagement. All donors will receive a voucher for a free Whataburger and points will be awarded to those who participate.
College students are the largest group of blood donors, with one in ten transfusions coming from teenagers, Thew said. We depend upon college students to make sure we have enough blood, she said.
“I think empowering the students is a big thing,” Thew said. “The students should feel proud of their accomplishments.”
These accomplishments include being awarded the Valentines for Life Hero Award in 2011, deeming ASU among the top one percent of contributors to United Blood Services. Twenty-seven organizations out of 1,200 earned this distinction.
Sam Tongue, a BLAST’D representative, said that the push to mobilize and educate people on the importance of donating blood is essential.
“It’s not even a college thing, it’s a humanities thing,” Tongue said. “The Downtown campus itself is an outwardly focused location in terms of majors and what people are studying. I think it’s good for our students to have that practice of going out and volunteering and trying to better the world around them.”
Journalism sophomore Annie Carson recognized the importance of giving back to the community by donating blood.
“We take our time here for granted,” Carson said. “Any little act, even if it’s donating a pint of blood, can help so many people. It’s important for everyone at ASU to participate.”
Carson said participating in the blood drive Tuesday will be the fourth time she’s donated blood in the past two years.
“I think it’s important because we are so young and every time we donate we save three lives,” Carson said. “It takes half an hour out of your day, and you help so many people that it would be pointless not to donate if you’re in good health.“
Contact the reporter at apsmith5@asu.edu
