Lipscomb will partner with American Red Cross Thursday, Oct. 1 for a blood drive between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the Student Activities Center.
“Our mission is to provide the right blood type at the right time,” said Carly Nelson, the Account Manager at American Red Cross. “Blood donors of all types, especially those with types AB, O negative, A negative and B negative are needed to ensure blood is available whenever and wherever needed.”
Out of the 51 slots available for Thursday’s blood drive, 45 are already filled. According to Matthew Abplanalp, Director of Campus Recreation, walk-ins are welcome but registration online using the sponsor code “Lipscomb19″ is preferred.
Lipscomb usually hosts five blood drives each year, including two in the fall, two in the spring and one in the summer. Each blood drive collects 30-60 units of blood.
This is not the first project that Lipscomb and American Red Cross have worked on together.
“When the flood happened a few years ago and when there have been various fires and people have had to evacuate, we hosted people in the SAC and worked with the Red Cross,” Abplanalp said. “The Red Cross is very active on our campus and we always love to host them.”
Lipscomb has been working with American Red Cross since 2000 and is currently looking into other possible ways to help out the community. There has been discussion of a possible blood drive competition with Belmont to see which school can donate the most blood, according to Abplanalp.
Nelson is proud of the “longterm relationship” that Lipscomb and American Red Cross have had since 2000. Collecting blood is a significant function of American Red Cross as they provide 40% of the nation’s blood.
“Like the emergency room of a hospital, the Red Cross must be prepared to respond to the blood needs of patients 24/7,” Nelson stated. “It’s the blood already on the shelves that helps save lives.”