From September 7 to September 8, the New York Blood Center joined the SUNY Old Westbury community for a Blood Drive.
Students and faculty lined up to donate blood in the Campus Center Atrium. Informational posters and New York Blood Center Signs listing blood-related facts, eligibility criteria, and personal stories decorated the Atrium. The signs also expressed the emergency blood shortage occurring.
The New York Blood Center Account Manager, Sharon Silva, hopes that students will become lifelong donors. Silva explained, “one out of every three people will need a blood product in their lifetime.” Silva said that she donates blood every 56 days because she has good health and recognizes the need for blood.
Student Health Services set up a booth in the Atrium with blood donation information and donor appreciation giveaways, including bags. SUNY Old Westbury Registered Nurse, Adele Gutierrez, helped at the booth. She said blood has no substitution.
On the first day of the Blood Drive, 57 SUNY Old Westbury community members met the eligibility requirements and donated blood. Gutierrez felt touched by the support the Blood Drive received. “Doing something [as] selfless as volunteering is an indirect way to change somebody’s life outside of college,” she said.
Gutierrez continued, “when you get that text message that your blood was just used for ‘so and so’ at ‘this’ hospital, I think that is really the most rewarding feeling.”
If you are interested in donating in the future, the Blood Drive occurs on campus twice each semester. For more information on ways to contribute or donate blood, visit www.nybloodcenter.org or call 1-800-933-BLOOD.
