Student Senate to sponsor fall blood drive October 24-26

The Northwest Missouri State University community will try to uphold its reputation as the top blood supplier in the region this month when the university’s student senate sponsors its annual fall blood drive in cooperation with the Community Blood Center.

The blood drive will take place from 11 am to 4:30 pm, Tuesday, October 24, through Thursday, October 26, in the Tower View Room, located on the third floor of the JW Jones Student Union.

All donors will receive a T-shirt, while supplies last, and Northwest will again compete with Missouri Western State University in a challenge to determine which institution can collect the most units of blood.

“This blood drive is different than many we have had in the past because, with recent disasters taking place, many Texas and Florida blood centers are out of service and will have low blood donations over the next several months,” Madison Adler, the civic service chair for Northwest’s Student Senate, said. “This blood drive will help those who are trying to rebuild their community and recover their lives.”

Interested donors may register online by visiting savealifenow.org. There, use your mouse to hover over “DONATE” in the upper right corner of the screen and click “Donate Blood” in the drop-down menu. Then follow the instructions on your screen.

The Community Blood Center is the primary supplier of blood and blood components in the region, serving more than 65 local hospitals and medical centers. Student senate annually sponsors fall, winter and spring blood drives in cooperation with the Community Blood Center to boost blood supplies in Northwest Missouri.

Blood from volunteer donors assists cancer patients recovering from the rigors of chemotherapy, auto accident victims needing blood for emergency surgeries or mothers needing blood as the result of traumatic birth deliveries. It is estimated three lives are saved with every unit collected.

Northwest has sponsored blood drives since at least 1973 and earned a reputation for its outstanding commitment to supporting blood donation in the region.

During the 2016-17 academic year, Northwest blood drives collected 751 units of blood, enough to impact more than 2,260 lives. That total included 392 units of blood collected during the student senate’s fall 2016 blood drive to win the competition with Missouri Western.