by Samson Tamijani
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For donating blood, the act of giving can be a matter of life and death.
UARK Red Cross – the student volunteer chapter of American Red Cross – makes it possible twice a semester to save multiple lives, the group said.
“People come in and do one quick thing, it takes an hour,” president of UARK Red Cross Wesley Smith said. “They don’t really think they’re doing that much, but the blood gets shipped off to different states, and (American Red Cross) will even email you to tell you where it gets shipped to. You can save several lives just with one pint of blood drawn.”
Smith noted that in his two semesters of leading the student organization, this was the first blood drive on campus to exceed its goal of 45 individual donors.
One student donating blood had one piece of advice for anyone feeling intimidated about the process.
“To face their fears, get out of their comfort zone,” junior Jessica Martin said. “That’s what college is about.”
Smith said the next blood drive is planned for early February. For that occasion, donors will be entered in drawings to win prizes like signed Razorback gear and Apple Airpods, he said.