According to the American Red Cross, every two seconds someone new in the United States needs blood. That’s more than 44,000 blood transfusions needed every day.
The American Red Cross teamed up with senior Lauren Buckles Tuesday to help organize a blood drive.
This was Buckles second year organizing the blood drive and she said her goal was to get 40 units of blood.
“It was not a very large goal but given the time I had to plan the blood drive I thought it was an attainable goal to reach,” Buckles said.
Many students who could brave the needles showed up to give blood and support the blood drive in general. Junior Taylor Goodman signed up as soon as she heard about the blood drive.
Goodman said she gives blood every year because she likes to help people in need.
“Giving blood saves lives so that’s why I like to do it, I like helping people in need,” Goodman said.
Donating blood is a safe and sterile process according to the American Red Cross. The whole giving blood process, from the time you show up until the time you leave, takes up to an hour and 15 minutes.
Sophomore Andrew Dawn is not allowed to give blood because of a heart condition but was still eager to help and make a difference without actually giving blood.
“I feel like a lot of people want to give blood but not a lot of people want to help out during the blood drive,” Dawn said. “They need more than just people to give blood. They need people to help out and if it was not for people like me they would not get it.”
Dawn thinks it is important to give blood because a lot of people in the world need blood on a daily basis.
“It is important to give blood because a lot of people, like cancer patients or people involved in car accidents need blood transfusions to live,” Dawn said. “If they don’t get the blood they could die and I don’t want them to die.”
The average adult has about ten pints of blood in the body, which is roughly one pint given during a donation.
A single person in a car accident can require as many as 100 pints of blood according to the American Red Cross.
“You never know what is going to happen in the future and if you are going to be one of those people who are going to need blood one day,” Dawn said.
If you are interested in giving blood or helping visit the American Red Cross website at www.redcross.org.