The Mizzou Alumni Association and American Red Cross cancelled the traditional four-day Homecoming blood drive event hosted at the Hearnes Center. But students and alumni can still give their blood at various satellite locations throughout October.
In years past, fraternities and sororities competed to see who could bring in the most donors and also volunteered their time at the drive. The Homecoming blood drive remains not only the largest student-run drive but also the largest drive in the nation, according to the MU News Bureau. Over 3,200 people donated in the 2019 drive.
Rebecca Shyu, a tri-director of the Homecoming steering committee, said the blood drive looks different than in the past.
“Due to university policies and Boone County limits on capacity, we couldn’t really hold [the blood drive] in the Hearnes Center for the four days that we usually do it,” Shyu said. “We’re helping out with check-in and check-out, but there’s no competition attached to it.”
Joe Zydlo, a communications manager for the American Red Cross, said the loss of the drive makes a big impact on blood banks.
“We were hoping to collect a thousand units each day over the four days of the drive this week, so that’s 4,000 units we lost because of not being able to have the drive,” Zydlo said. “We tried to add some more blood drives across the state to try and make up for that.”
Shyu believes the satellite drives bring in donors even though overall attendance is down from last year.
“We’ve had a pretty good, steady flow of people coming in which is a really positive viewpoint on how it’s going,” Shyu said. “We’re really sad that we can’t give the Red Cross the amount that we usually give them, but we’re adapting and doing our best.”
For people interested in donating blood, the process is smooth sailing, Shyu said.
“The Red Cross is really encouraging everyone who is trying to donate to sign up through their app; this way they can receive their COVID antibody results pretty quickly,” Shyu said. “They can also track where their blood goes [after donation].”
All information on satellite locations in Columbia and throughout Missouri and how to sign up for a drive can be found on the Mizzou Homecoming Website.
“We have a lot of satellite drives because we know a lot of Mizzou alumni are all over the state,” Zydlo said.
In addition to the blood drive, the Columbia American Red Cross Blood Donation Center accepts donations through online appointments. To schedule your donation any time, go to the American Red Cross website.
Donations nationwide have dropped since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend people continue to donate blood in a socially distanced environment if they are able.
“It’s definitely not looking the same as usual, but there are still so many opportunities to give back to the Columbia community,” Shyu said. “Especially through the blood drive, not only is the Columbia community impacted, but hospitals all over the United States — and especially the Midwest — are impacted.”
_Edited by Lucy Caile | lcaile@themaneater.com_
