Students lined up in the Student Center Ballroom at Eastern Michigan University to successfully donate 74 units of blood for the American Red Cross blood drives on Sept. 19 and 20.
While the entire process from the time a volunteer arrives and leaves can take about an hour, the actual donation process takes around 10 minutes with food and snacks provided afterward. Red cells, platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitates (specific proteins involved in clotting) can be derived from a pint of donated blood.
Red Cross volunteer Sarah Young said, "The blood drives at EMU are very successful and are always booked. The Red Cross loves EMU because of the amount of students who volunteer."
The Alpha Phi Omega fraternity at EMU helped the Red Cross run the blood drive.
In a given year amongst Red Cross donors 26 percent of them have never donated blood before. Meghan Dunkle, EMU nursing major, said, "I've never donated before and I wanted to try things out."
Approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day according to statistics by the American Red Cross. On average roughly one pint is given during a donation.
Kyle Trout, simulation, animation and gaming major said, "I want to be able to help people out and do something good by donating."
Another blood drive is being held on Thursday, Sept. 29 in the Marshall Hall Atrium from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
