The University of New England American Red Cross Club (UNE ARCC) was founded in 2019 and has been organizing blood drives for the past six years. These drives provide easy access to blood donation for the UNE and greater Biddeford community.
“The blood drives are so impactful because they truly draw in a lot of people from UNE and even from outside UNE together with the same goal of saving a life. Everyone who volunteers, donates, works the drives cares about helping other people and that’s what makes it such an impactful event,” said Julia Manning, President of ARCC. “The planning and organization process is a very important component to the drives.”
UNE is connected to the Red Cross through a relatively simple host application process which allows schools, businesses, or other communities to hold blood drives. The university is responsible for the location, volunteers, and donor recruitment, while the Red Cross provides all necessary equipment and trained staff.
Most recruitment happens the week leading up to the drive through tabling in the Danielle Ripich Commons. “We get a table that is set up near the catwalk. We put our ARCC red table cloth on it, and try and get people to sign up to donate,” said Manning.
Emails are sent to all ARCC members inviting them to table, with the ARCC board members needing to meet tabling requirements. This is a very simple task where you can pick timeslots that work with your schedule, and gain volunteer hours. Through tabling, the ARCC tries to fill all of the blood donation slots.
There are also so many ways for UNE students to be involved with the blood drive itself.
Most commonly, students are seen donating blood. Donation options include the typical whole blood donation, or the Power Red donation which collects twice the amount of red blood cells, while returning the platelets and plasma back to the donor.
Blood donation may seem daunting, but the process doesn’t have to be difficult. The actual act of donating blood only takes around 6-10 minutes, and then donors have time to relax and enjoy some free snacks to get their blood sugar back up. Additionally, the Red Cross employees are incredibly practiced and professional– they know what they’re doing and are willing to provide guidance wherever necessary.
Along with donating, UNE students can support the process by volunteering at the blood drive. “Student involvement is very important for the drives as the students represent UNE. If we have students volunteering and donating at the drives it really represents UNE well.” explained Manning.
Volunteering entails checking donors in, monitoring the snack and recovery table, and recruiting repeat donors. Shifts can be as quick as 30 minutes and are a great way to gain volunteer hours and help the community. Volunteering occurs through the ARCC and anyone is welcome.
The last blood drive of the semester is on April 15th and will be held in the UNE Campus Center. Sign up to donate online through the American Red Cross website, or stop by the ARCC table on the second floor of the commons sometime between April 6th and 10th where members can help you sign up and answer any questions you may have.
If you would like to consider tabling or volunteering, please come to an ARCC meeting or stop by during tabling hours.
“UNE students should definitely get involved in ARCC because it is a fantastic experience… Not only do you get volunteer hours for simply showing up to meetings but also for any volunteering you do within the club. It is also just a fantastic organization with lots of really nice people,” said Julia Manning, club president.
