Upcoming Blood Drives

Below are the next three upcoming blood drives. Check out the Blood Drives tab for the entire list of upcoming blood drives!

New Members And People Interested in the Club

If you are a new member to the Student Red Cross Club, or are interesting in joining, and aren't quite sure about some things about the club, be sure to check out our Frequently Asked Questions page!

House Cup Registration

Starting this semester, we're starting a House Cup! It's basically a friendly competition within the club where we split our members into three houses based on blood types. To get involved, register here! Check out current point totals! For more information about the House Cup, check out our Membership tab.

May and June Blood Drives

Eligible donors may donate up to six times per year. However, at Penn State the average donor gives only 1.7 times per year. A red blood cell product has a shelf life of only 42 days, but a donor must wait 56 days between donations. Therefore, there is a continuing need for donors to step forward to help maintain blood inventory levels.

To prepare for a blood donation get a good night's rest and drink an extra 16 ounces of water before donating. Eating a good meal two to three hours before donating is important; never donate blood while fasting. A past iron deferral may be temporary; a donor can and is encouraged to try again. Help maintain a healthy iron level in your diet by eating iron-rich foods, such as spinach, red meat, fish, poultry, beans, iron-fortified cereals and raisins.

Blood donation appointments are strongly recommended and can be made at the Blood Drives page. To volunteer at any blood drive, visit www.volunteeer.psu.edu/redcross.

Donors who are 18 and younger must meet specific height and weight requirements and those 16 years of age must have parental consent. All other potential donors must weigh at least 110 pounds and be generally in good health. Please call the Red Cross Donor Client Support Center at 1-866-236-3276 or visit www.redcrossblood.org with specific eligibility questions. All presenting donors should bring their Red Cross donor cards or other forms of identification to the blood drive.

To make an appointment, click on the Blood Drives tab on the upper left hand side of this page and simply select a drive to sign up!

Centre Gives

This May 22 through May 23, the Centre Foundation is hosting a 36-hour online giving event called Centre Gives. For 36 hours, the Centre Foundation will match up to $100,000 in donations to the American Red Cross. To donate, go to CentreGives.org on May 22 and May 23; minimum donation of $25. For more information, check out our flyer!

Featured Media on Blood Donation

Club Goals

The purpose of the Penn State Student Red Cross Club is to coordinate student activities relating to the programs fostered by the American Red Cross. These activities include: blood services, safety and lifesaving introduction, health fairs, youth services and other projects agreed upon by the membership.

Our Featured Blog Post

                My name is Nina Farrell, and I’m stepping in as the Student Red Cross Club Secretary for this semester.  I have been involved with SRCC for two years, and have loved every minute! 

When first starting at Penn State,I was nervous about finding a club to join and fitting in.  I went to plenty of meetings for other clubs,but none of them felt quite right.  The fall of my freshman year, I made an appointment to donate blood on the last day of the PSU vs. MSU Blood Challenge, not knowing what a huge event it was on campus.  Luckily, it was a Friday night,and I was determined to do my bit of good, no matter how long it took.  There were so many people waiting to give blood, and the SRCC volunteers were working furiously to keep things running smoothly.  It took me two and half hours(no joke!!!) to finally get to my health history as one of the last people in line, a fully worth while wait.  The staff and the volunteers, people my age who were helping others in such a huge way,were all so nice, and despite the long wait, I knew that I wanted to donate again.

                Soon after I donated, I learned that Penn State had won the challenge by just 11 units over Michigan State.  I had definitely been one of the last 11 donors in line, meaning that my blood had helped not only three lives, but PSU straight to victory!!  I thought back to my experience, of all the people helping out at the drives, and what a rewarding experience it must be to work on the other side of the canteen table. I donated at drives the rest of my freshman year, and jumped right into volunteering at drives at the start of my sophomore year.  I could tell right away that the officers and chairs were all friends, and they were so welcoming to new members.  There is nothing but encouragement, love,laughter, and food (of course...) among the people I have come to call family.  I had finally found my perfect niche in my greater home of Penn State.

                I have held a few positions during my career in SRCC, such as OSC Assistant,being an active OSC, Donor Retention Chair, and now Secretary.  I also have found great opportunities to contribute to my community, such as becoming a First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor,where I can teach people these life-saving skills.  No matter what walk of life you come from,and no matter where you’d like to go, there is a place for you here with us in SRCC.  I guarantee that you will find a fulfilling way to give back to your campus and community, and grow some amazing friendships along the way!

View the entire blog here! Or even add your own entry here!

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