By: Karley Wajda
Staff-Writer
The IU South Bend Honors Program is working with Leadership South Bend Mishawaka to sponsor a Valentine’s Day blood drive. This event will take place on Feb. 14 in The Honors Lounge in the Administration Building from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For an appointment, call MaryAnn at (574) 204-4131 or sign up at http://www.GiveBloodNow.com. If IU South Bend Honors Students choose to donate, they will receive one hour of service credit.
Your donation can save up to three lives. The South Bend Medical Foundation relies on blood donations for cancer treatments, heart surgery, pregnancy complications, trauma and other medical emergencies.
According to The Community Blood Center, donating blood can take as little as 10 minutes to do, and it only takes the body about four weeks to regenerate the blood that has been donated. This is an incredibly short time compared to those who may need blood transfusions for extended periods of time.
The human body holds about 10 pints of blood, but only one pint of blood is the average amount taken during donation. Red blood cells, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate can all be separated from one unit of donated blood.
This act of service can be the ultimate act of love to boost spirits for Valentine’s Day. One might even call it heart-felt. What better way to spend the day of love than giving a piece of yourself to someone in need!