Blood for Missions cancelled the second day of a two-day drive planned for Wednesday and Thursday. The organization is a Southern California-based nonprofit organization that holds blood drives to directly benefit Christian missions.
LifeStream, the blood bank that partners with Blood For Missions, informed Blood For Missions president Micah Mann that they needed the staff designated for Biola's drive for an indoor drive at a high school. Mann added that tomorrow's forecast of rain was a factor, since attendance is usually low at outdoor drives in poor weather.
“It's definitely a bummer to have Thursday's [drive] canceled, but we are respectful of them because we work together and it's the right thing to do," Mann said.
Signs around campus Wednesday informed students that the drive would not continue Thursday as previously planned.
Bloodmobile sees 36 donations on Wednesday
The bloodmobile was parked in front of the gazebo next to Bardwell Hall on Sutherland Way Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and received 36 donations.
LifeStream gives $27 for each pint of blood to Blood For Missions, then the organization donates $20 of that amount directly to mission organizations, according to Mann. He said the remaining $7 covers Blood for Mission’s expenses such as gas traveling to and from events.
Starting with the late September drive this year, SMU decided to provide three organizations for students who donated to choose from, according to Kieu.
"The goal of Blood For Missions is to raise as much money for Christian missions as possible," Mann explained.
This blood drive supported Water Wells for Africa, the Jessie Reese Foundation and Samaritan’s Purse, said Meilani Kieu, SMU director of marketing and communications.
The missions are completely up to the host of the drive, Mann said. Since different people have different ministries on their hearts, the drives are more successful when the host picks the missions, he said.
Past drives only benefitted single organizations
SMU has partnered with Blood for Missions prior to this year; for that event, the drive only benefited a single organization.
The drive on Dec. 6 and 7 in 2011 that benefited a single mission received 41 donations. The drive held Sept. 25 and 26 of this year received 62 donations in total, a 51 percent increase.
“I think that it gives them ownership and makes them responsible. I think that by giving them the choice, it kind of empowers them to make a difference and they are able to choose in what way to make a difference,” Kieu said.
Many students at the blood drive donated to make a difference through the simple act of giving blood.
Students have many reasons for donating
"I donate blood a lot. My sister has hemophilia so blood donors have saved her life multiple times, so it's really important for me to give blood," said sophomore music education and intercultural studies major Rachel Donawerth.
Donawerth said that she would donate the proceeds of her pint to Samaritan's Purse, as did junior anthropology major Kevin Harris.
Brittny Anderson, a sophomore communication disorders major, and Lainey Fisher, a freshman sociology major, both said they would designate the money for Water Wells for Africa.
"I love being able to help people and I don't really have to do anything and I have the ability to, so why not? And I love that I'm able to give money to missions as well," Anderson said.
