Volunteer service teaches students about leadership and community outreach, skills that can’t be taught in the classroom.
Research also shows students who volunteer perform better at school and can build stronger resumes for college and scholarship applications, not to mention the many ways they ultimately help people in need. The Blood Connection and Clemson University have chartered the first Donors for Life club, a student led club that encourages blood donation. Currently, the club is recruiting donors for a blood drive this Monday.
“When we came to Clemson, we noticed a need,” said Clemson Junior Alexa Henderson of Kansas City, Kansas, who chartered Donors for Lifewith Co-President Mikala Riga from Myrtle Beach, SC. “We saw that there were lots of clubs that addressed social issues and community needs but there was nothing dedicated to blood donation. Both of us had donated in high school and we’d even led blood drives in our own school communities. We approached The Blood Connection about an idea.”
Since then, the student club has worked with TBC Recruiter Ashley Sweet to sponsor two campus blood drives that combined, have collected well over 100 pints of blood. Half of these donations came from first time donors. One of the drives turned out so many students, an extra day had to be added to accommodate the many supportive students. The Blood Connection believes once the idea of a blood donation club catches on, other colleges, universities and high schools will want to charter one.
“We’re so excited and proud of these students who are giving to their community in a special way that saves lives,” said Sweet. “At the same time, they’re also gaining service hours and developing valuable skills that will help them in life. We want other college and high school communities to know that it’s easy to charter a Donors for Life club. We’ve also created a simple charter process, with step-by-step directions for holding a successful blood drive.”
As Henderson and Riga work with club members to recruit for Monday’sdrive, they’re putting out fliers, using social media to encourage sign ups, and leveraging the annual success of the Clemson-USC Blood Bowl. Their goal is to draw attention to a need that never goes away. Blood donors can give every 56 days. They’re reminding students that regular donors are needed to ensure the blood supply is available for trauma patients, surgery patients and cancer patients.
“These students are making a real difference in the lives of people in their community by leading club blood drives,” said Sweet. “While we hope learning about the need and making a donation will foster a lifelong habit, the students are also learning about civic responsibility and developing project management skills. Statistics show that volunteer blood donors who begin donating in high school are more inclined to continue giving blood throughout their lifetimes. Approximately 15-20% of our blood donations come from students, and these help us reach our daily goal of 400 units of blood every day.”
The Donors for Life blood drive will be held this Monday, January 11th, from 11:30 to 4:30 near the Clemson Horseshoe housing area.
To find out how to start a Donors for Life Club, contact Ashley Sweet at [email protected] or by phone at 864-751-3058.