Located at the Tyser Tower atop SECU Stadium students, staff and College Park locals were hooked up to an IV, donated blood and saved lives at the We Give Blood Drive on Monday, Oct 28.
The We Give Blood Drive is a partnership between Abbott Laboratories and the Big Ten, championed by Inova, a nonprofit local healthcare organization. The blood drive is part of a competition between 18 of the Big Ten schools with a one million dollar prize on the line for the winning university. As an added incentive, every individual who donates to the blood drive will receive a free shirt and pair of tickets to the Maryland v. Rutgers game on Nov. 16.
This year marks the greatest blood shortage in a generation, contributed to by a large decline in interest in donating according to the American Hospital Association. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion; donating blood can save up to three lives according to America’s Blood Centers.Â
Carolyn Bayless, Mobile Operations Manager for Inova’s blood donor services, encourages blood donations, stating blood is irreplaceable for saving lives.Â
“We don’t have a substitute for red blood cells,” Bayless said, “We don’t have a substitute for platelets. It’s the one thing we can give to each other to save each other’s lives.” Â
Blood is becoming increasingly critical, especially during high risk events such as the recent mass floodings where blood is needed immediately. The blood drive’s initiative is to create an impact that fuels generations to come in order to prevent blood shortages and support local communities in need.
“You give local, you save local,” said Bayless.Â
Various participants attended the blood drive on Monday, especially University of Maryland students looking to donate. While some came for the free goodies provided, others realized the impact of donating blood.
“Just think about if you were ever in need of a situation like this, you’d want people to be donating blood for you, so just pay it forward,” said junior computer science major Mihir Celly.
Celly was initially attracted to the free t-shirt but now plans to become a returning donor. senior cell biology and genetics major Peter Krimsky witnessed the benefits of blood transfusions from someone’s personal experience which influenced him to donate.
“Someone you might know might need blood,” Krimsky said. “So absolutely give blood.”
Apprehension to needles and blood is a common cause of blood donation avoidance, which is why Abbott Laboratories offers a mixed-reality experience to address any fears. There’s also a constant reassurance to ask questions about the process that are aimed to help donors understand this service to their community.
“It takes at least three donations to get hooked,” Bayless said. “And we have found that once people do that, they’re donors for life, and that’s what we want to create.”
There are numerous blood donation centers awaiting donors in the College Park area. By providing proof of donation to the We Give Blood Drive website, participants boost their schools’ chances of winning the blood drive competition, in addition to making an impact.Â
The winning school will be announced at the 2024 Discover Big Ten Football Championship Game on Dec. 7.