Photo from blood.ca
Canadian Blood Services is eager for donations after going through its driest summer period in the past five years.
The agency is hoping that students will make the difference by donating at their drop-in clinics. The challenge, as community developer Kristen Ungar notes, is that society seems to be getting busier.
“Everybody’s on the go,” says Ungar. “Students are a little better in that sense, where we can get the walk-ins, but it’s just making sure the awareness is there. Every other cause is asking for your help, so we’re just another cause that needs that help.”
For many, the fear of getting a needle can be a significant deterrent from donating blood; however, Ungar says it can be overcome by thinking about those in need.
“Consider a child in the hospital with leukemia, getting two to five units of blood per week to keep them alive,” Ungar says. “If you were talking to them or their mother, and they’re begging you to give a unit of blood, are you really going to consider that it’s so painful to put your arm out there and be poked?”
Western University is offering drop-in clinics on Monday, September 29th and Tuesday, September 30th in the UCC.
Fanshawe College is offering a drop-in clinic on Thursday, October 9th.