The average blood donor is between the ages of 50 and 60. The Community Blood Center of Kansas City wants to change that.
In an ongoing effort to encourage more young people to donate blood, the UMKC Honors Program aims to host a campus blood drive at least twice a year.
“Every two seconds, somebody in a hospital needs blood, and it’s something that can’t be made synthetically,” said Ann Joseph, a biology major freshman and Honor’s ambassador. “We need younger blood, and that’s why it’s so crucial to have drives like this on college campuses to get young people out and donate.”
The Honors program sought to fill 60 reservations for donors, accomplishing that goal before the event started. Faculty and students were able to register via Roo Groups, however the drive saw a handful of walk-in donors as well.
One important aspect of the blood drives held on campus is that all the donations go directly into the community for transfusions, surgeries and more.
A representative and organizer of the Community Blood Center stated the importance of making donors aware that their blood would be distributed in local hospitals and not used for testing or research.
While many of the students were first-time donors, some have become regulars to the quick pinch and process of phlebotomy.
“I just feel like it’s the least I can do,” said Audrey Martens, a first-year communications major and fourth-time donor. “I was involved in running the blood drive for high school, but I was never actually able to give blood. Now that I can, it’s a great opportunity.”
Only 3% of age-eligible people donate yearly, but the need for donations never ceases. First-time donors have a 40% return rate within one year and a 53% return within two years.
Hosting blood drives on campus encourages the younger generations to regularly donate through the quick and painless process.
The next university blood drive will be on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025.
