{"id":19229,"date":"2023-03-13T08:18:02","date_gmt":"2023-03-13T12:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=19229"},"modified":"2023-03-13T08:18:03","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T12:18:03","slug":"red-cross-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/red-cross-club\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Cross Club Delivers the Life Blood of K Drives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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With hearts full of service, a student organization is pumping exceptional success into the blood drives at Kalamazoo College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Red Cross Club, led by Abby Barnum \u201923, has earned a Premier Blood Partners Program award from the American Red Cross, designed to recognize community efforts in benefiting the local blood supply. The award honors the Red Cross\u2019 highest contributing sponsors, starting at 50 donations collected per year, with a minimum blood-drive size of 30 units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As many as 50 students, faculty, staff and community members have signed up for each of the blood drives at K, which are conducted once per term, amounting to three times a year. After a few cancellations and donation deferrals for low blood-iron levels, about 35 to 40 typically will donate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s a really big honor,\u201d said Barnum, a biochemistry major<\/a> and aspiring physician assistant. \u201cThe Red Cross person who arranges the blood drives told me, \u2018you guys are doing so well, we\u2019re going to give you this special recognition because you just keep knocking it out of the park.\u2019 It was nice to hear that we’re making a difference even though we’re a smaller school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Barnum and Red Cross Club members from conducting blood drives at K until last spring. But now, a local Red Cross representative will collaborate with Health Care Center Coordinator Jennifer Combes to schedule each drive. That empowers about 10 active Red Cross Club members to volunteer both before and after the drives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe week before a drive we’ll have at least two people at tables at Hicks Student Center, and we encourage everybody as much as we can to donate,\u201d Barnum said. \u201cWe let them know that donating saves up to three lives and we’ll give them free snacks afterward. On the day of, we have hour-long shifts. I usually take the day off from classes because it’s easier if at least one person is always there. One person does registration. Another works in the canteen, where we make sure everyone who donates gets a snack and is feeling OK afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Abby Barnum ’23 (left) joined Caelan Frazier \u201924, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Daniela Arias-Rotondo and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Blake Tresca at Declaration of Major Day in February. Barnum is a member of the Kalamazoo College Red Cross Club, a student organization being recognized by the American Red Cross for the success of its blood drives.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to help<\/strong> the Red Cross Club<\/h3>\n\n\n\n