By Echo Turner

The University of Maine’s annual blood drive was held Sept. 8 and 9 in the Collins Center for the Arts. Put on by the American Red Cross through the Bodwell Center for Service and Volunteerism, students have now had the chance to donate blood for more than 10 years.

“Our total number of people that walk through is probably between 150 and 200 for each of the drives, which is a two-day drive,” Lisa Morin, coordinator of the Bodwell Center, said, “We have some community members that come in every time. We do have staff and faculty, but the majority of them are students.”

Walk-ins comprise the bulk of the donors the blood drive receives each year, with more than 50 percent of donations being walk-ins, according to Morin. The American Red Cross usually has a carefully planned schedule where they sign donors up in advance and get all the paperwork filled out before the day of donation. With such a significant populace coming in spontaneously, this particular event needs to be more flexible.

“After the military I saw how much they needed blood so I decided to give,” Mark Alexander, a UMaine student, said on giving blood. “I had to have a blood transfusion [while serving].”

Alexander gives what are called double red donations, or donations in double the amount usually donated, every 120 days.

According to Morin, UMaine usually sees about a dozen deferrals per donation period. A deferral is the term used for people that want to donate but are not able to because of some requirements that aren’t met, such as not weighing enough, not having enough iron in their system, and having donated too recently.

“I’ve donated [four times] before and I heard about it on campus and decided it was a good idea,” Marissa Lynch, a student from UMaine who even had a donation card to prove she’s a regular donor, said.

Lynch and many others read or heard about the blood drive on campus and had the free time to come in. There were even signs at the entrances of campus so that commuter students knew of the drive as well.

The process of donating takes about an hour, although the actual donation usually takes under 10 minutes. While it might be nerve-wracking to some leading up to donation day, it may help to know that one donation saves up to three lives, according to the American Red Cross website.

UMaine hosts a blood drive twice per semester. The Bodwell Center is always looking for volunteers to help with registering people to donate, facilitating walk-ins and handing out snacks. The next drive will be held in November, so anyone hoping to help out should keep an eye out for flyers and signs on campus around that time.

For those donating, it is important to remember to keep hydrated and avoid fatty foods before donating, and that in the event a donor feels sick or fatigued to contact American Red Cross and reschedule. All the rules of donating can be found on the American Red Cross website.