Students Give to Life-Saving Blood Drive

by Rebecca Axford

On Wednesday, Sept. 14, about 45 Concordia students donated blood to the Nebraska Community Blood Bank (NCBB).  Those students contributed 30 units, which each hold 200-300 CCs of life-saving blood.

The pre-seminary club organizes and hosts two blood drives each semester,  one in cooperation with the NCBB and one in cooperation with the American Red Cross. They are scheduled several months apart so that students can donate at both if they want. Volunteers promote the drive, pre-register donors, and help set up.

“A lot of people think, ‘Oh, I’m giving my blood to a bank and it’s going to sit on a shelf and not be used,’” Pre-seminary sophomore volunteer Peter Deberny said.

“The pictures of the people on the sides of our buses are pictures of people whose lives have been saved by blood transfusions,” NCBB employee Jackie Hepburn said. “One pint of blood can save three people’s lives.”

The blood drive was held in a bus in the Janzow Campus Center parking lot from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., as it was moved from the Cattle Conference room due to an unexpected conflict with chapel. Students filled all of the registration slots a week before the event.

“We can take 15 minutes out of our day and give someone 15 years of their life back,” senior Marol Feickert said. “It’s like one of those Geico commercials.”

“It’s another way to help the community and serve your neighbor,” Isaiah Armbrecht, the pre-seminary club’s events coordinator, said. “It’s fitting for us as Christians to do that by donating blood, because Christ gave His blood for us.”

The next blood drive this semester will be held on Thursday, Nov. 17.