By Maegan Rocio
Staff Writer
Donating blood: It will help more than it will hurt.
Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity, will partner with Carter BloodCare to host its semi-annual blood drive from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day starting Oct. 1 – 5. There will be a total of four donation vans on campus.
Two donation vans will be parked in front of Fountain Mall and two more vans will be parked at the Bobo Spirtual Life Center.
Jessica Gonzales, one of the blood drive’s co-chairs, said, “I really enjoy the fact that we come together as a community,” she said.
Sara Mabile, account consultant of Carter BloodCare, said the blood bank prides itself on collecting and distributing donations in the Central Texas area.
“We are the sole providers for Hillcrest Hospital and Providence Health Center in Waco,” Mabile said. “We give blood to Temple, Killeen and most of the hospitals in the Central Texas area.”
Mabile said Carter BloodCare has a donation goal in mind for the upcoming drive.
“We service around 300 health care facilities, which include 16 in the Central Texas area,” she said. “The company, to meet the demands of the community, tries to collect 120 units per day. That’s what we shoot for.”
Mabile said students and faculty who want to donate should prepare a few days in advance.
“As for donating, eat to make the donating process easy and quick,” she said. “Make sure you’re well hydrated several days before the drive. Drink plenty of water. That morning, make sure you eat a large breakfast, or eat a larger breakfast than usual. Eat a large lunch if you’re coming in the afternoon. Eating a large meal before donating will definitely make it easier.”
Mabile said that donors younger than 17 need to download and fill out a parental consent form from the main website, www.carterbloodcare.org.
The form can be turned in at the donation vans. All donors need to weigh at least 110 pounds and need to bring a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or a passport.
Mabile said every donor will receive a free T-shirt.
Mabile said the Alpha Phi Omega and Carter BloodCare blood drive has won awards over the past several years and last April for the most blood collected in the Central Texas community.
“I definitely say we couldn’t do it without the generosity of the Baylor community,” she said. “We look forward to it because we know that we’ll have an awesome turn-out.”
Gonzales said she wants Alpha Phi Omega to teach donors an important lesson through the blood drive. “We want our organization to help the Baylor community realize that one individual can make a difference,” she said. “This is why I love doing this, because it saves lives.”
