Vampires may be all the rage right now, but there’s something even better than bloodsuckers, and that’s a voluntary blood donor.
Students at Ventura College donated their time and their blood, to the United Blood Services on Thursday, Nov. 12. Between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., over 25 volunteers lined up to check in with the organization and fill out the proper paperwork for donating their blood.
“There are a lot of great donors here at this school,” said Joan Winton, a United Blood Services representative. “Everyone’s always willing to donate.”
Ventura College is no stranger to the blood drive.
“We’re here every couple of months or so,” said Winton. “We usually set up anywhere big crowds are sure to pass by.”
Eryn Horn, a 19-year-old kinesiology major, signed up to give blood for the fifth time since she began donating.
“I have Type O blood,” she said. “My blood is universal and it’s just a big help for anyone who needs it.”
Representatives from the United Blood Services handed out pamphlets with valuable information on the different blood types.
“It’s incredibly important to know who you can give your red blood cells to and who you can receive them from,” said Jason Martinez, a 26-year-old political science major who stopped by the blood drive to stretch his knowledge about blood donations.
In an effort to get more blood donors, the United Blood Services has joined various social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
“Befriending us on sites like Facebook can quickly alert you when blood supplies get seriously low and when drives are happening in your area,” said Winton.
The organization also handed out flyers promoting their new reward points system. Donors can collect a minimum of 100 points for each successful donation.
“This motivates donors to give their time as often as possible,” said Winton. “We’re trying to appeal to different types of people, all with different blood types.”
Through the reward points system, donors can win items such as Baskin-Robbins coupons, movie tickets, video games, CDs, and DVDs.
“Attracting others with movie tickets and prizes is a good idea,” said Martinez, “but those who are eligible to give blood should just go for it. Give your time. Save a life.”