Red Cross blood drive yields large amount of donations

American Red Cross conducted a blood drive in the Union Building Ballroom Thursday. The drive, which doubled as one of Thursday's Greek Week events, will continue today from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Senior Maddison Hamil serves on the board of Red Cross' River Valley region and organized the blood drive. Hamil's father, Brian Hamil, serves as Red Cross' National Chair of Biomedical Services. He said Maddison has been accompanying him to Red Cross events for quite some time.

"I brought Maddison to Washington, D.C., to experience our national convention," he said. "Last fall, she decided she would like to have a blood drive on campus, which would be our organization's second drive at DePauw."

Maddison expressed an interest in organizing a campus blood drive because the distance between DePauw and St. Louis limited her direct interaction with the regional board.

"I figured that having a drive here would be a great way to take ownership of my position on the board," she said. "DePauw did not have a connection with Red Cross, so I figured I could use my connections to accomplish something for the campus."

Students and faculty members alike chose to donate at the drive, some in spite of personal hesitation.

"I like donating blood whenever I have the opportunity because it can help a lot of people," said junior Meagan Brady. "All of the people who are sick go through countless treatments every day. Even though I hate needles, it seems worth it to donate what I can."

The drive's start was delayed due to a minor automobile collision en route to DePauw. As a result, many donors such as Brady waited for over two hours before settling into one of ten chairs to give a sample.

Brian Hamil said the effects of the accident were minimal.

"It was an unfortunate delay, but I don't think we lost any donors as a result," he said.

Maddison Hamil said making the drive a Greek Week competition led to a donor turnout greater than previous campus blood drives.

"Last year the Red Cross hadn't been on campus for a while, so I think it was more difficult to get people to come out," she said. "We knew we could definitely draw a majority of the campus if we focused on the greek houses."

Individuals from member chapters of Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council received one point each for volunteering to assist with the blood drive or donating a pint of blood. A select few donors received two points for their house if they met blood-type requirements for rare "double red" donations.

Thursday's portion of the drive yielded 98 units of blood from 139 potential donors. Maddison Hamil said an amount of blood that large could eventually save up to 254 lives. Brian Hamil said the level of participation was something the University could be proud of.

"We are ecstatic about the amount of donors and volunteers," he said. "The DePauw campus is a very caring community, and I think they understand the value of giving life-saving blood."

Maddison Hamil said Red Cross hoped to draw as many samples today as Thursday, but regardless, the relationship between DePauw and Red Cross is ensured for now.

"We already have a second drive planned for this spring," she said. "There have also been several underclassmen who have expressed an interest in taking my spot on the board after I graduate to continue the Red Cross' presence on campus.