Blood drive still needs students

The American Red Cross is on campus in the Student Center Ballroom today and tomorrow for blood donations.

There is a shortage of appointments and students who have taken the opportunity to donate blood.

“This is rare,” Amanda Koubek, American Red Cross account manager, said. “Usually when we come up here (to Chadron) there are lines of people waiting.”

There is a goal of 86 pints of blood to be donated today and a goal of 54 pints tomorrow, but due to only 35 appointments today and 40 appointments tomorrow, it’s unexpected that those goals will be reached.

According to redcrossblood.org, about 1 pint is donated per individual donor.

To make up for the lack of donors, Staci Boyer and Brittany Wolf, of the American Red Cross, dressed up in a horse and pig costume, respectively, and walked around the Student Center to try and encourage students to give blood.

“When we are slow, we get creative,” Koubek said.

There haven’t been any reasons provided or explanations given as to why the appointment numbers are down compared to blood drives in the past.

Walk-ins are welcome until 5 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. tomorrow.

“Students don’t even need to call, they just need to walk in,” Koubek said.