A blood drive was held by the American Red Cross at Northeast Community College on October 3, 2012.

Many of the people who had made appointments showed up, as well as many more walk-ins.

The goal for units collected that day was 84 units and 92 units were collected. Overall, the blood drive was a tremendous success.

Among the several other programs Northeast holds to help the community, the blood drive is one of the most important and one that is frequently held.

One student, who donated, Terence Jonak, shared his opinion on giving blood. “I feel it’s important to give blood because there’s a constant need, I have a rare blood type, and it’s one of the many ways I can help.”

The blood drives give college students, staff, and others a chance to give back to the community and save lives.

“The way I look at it, 5 minutes of discomfort can save up to three people’s lives,” said Jonak.

According to the American Red Cross, every two seconds someone in the US needs blood, in fact, more that 44,000 blood donations are needed every day.

A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each ear in the US.

The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints, and one pint of blood can save up to three lives.

There are other services that one can donate blood through. One service in particular, the United Blood Services, offers a reward program in which blood donors are able to earn points for each donation and then receive rewards with the points.

There are many other ways to help with blood drives if you aren’t keen on needles, such as: Help with organization, handing out snacks, and information/poster-making.

When helping with blood donations, volunteering a little bit of your time helps saves lives and automatically makes you a hero.