30-year tradition continues

Compassionate students gathered at Portland State on Jan. 15, 1979, to give blood for the American Red Cross. Thirty years later, this tradition of students donating remains.

Yesterday, the American Red Cross finished its second day of their Fall Term PSU Blood Drive. The drive exceeded the goals set by Student Health and Counseling Outreach Coordinator Gwyn Ashcom and her Red Cross counterpart, Joseph Shockley.

“It’s been a slow build,” Ashcom said of their yearly total. “From February of last year to October of this year—to this drive—we’re at 934 [units].”

This drive has seen a jump in the number of donors.

“Our goal was 144 units [Monday] and we reached 150,” Ashcom said. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without the donors.”

The volunteers
Clark and Donna Smith, husband and wife volunteers, have been helping with the blood drives for several years.

“We come here four times a year. This year was the first year with two days,” said Clark Smith. “I didn’t realize this school has more students than U of O.”

Ashcom hopes to benefit from the fact that Portland State has the largest student body in Oregon.
“Our goal is to get a full week drive to match up to U of O,” Ashcom said.

Another bonus of the longer blood drives is the availability of “double reds” for students.

“The double reds—where they take out the plasma and give you back the fluids so you don’t have to replace them—is a great thing,” Smith said.

This allows donors to skip some of the side effects that accompany giving blood.

“I’ve been volunteering since I retired, about 12 years,” said Smith. “My wife and I will volunteer again and will be at Ronler Acres in Beaverton tomorrow.”

Helen Ladarre, another volunteer, looks forward to the drive coming back in February.

“You guys are just great,” Ladarre said.

The donors
Most people giving blood yesterday were Portland State students with a long history of donating blood.

Deane Stitt, a senior in accounting, has been donating for over three decades.

“I’ve been donating since I was 18, so 31 years,” Stitt said. “I think it’s about 5 1/2 or 6 gallons now.”

Others were new to donating.

“I started a few years ago, since high school,” said Christine Zeiner, a senior studying chemistry and mathematics.

Looking ahead
Ashcom and members of the Red Cross are working to increase the number of days of the drive in future years.

“Next year we’ll have our first four-day drive with a goal of 1,486 [units],” Ashcom said. “The transformation of signing up online is so convenient.”

The next Portland State blood drive will take place from Feb. 1 to Feb. 3 and Ashcom is also hoping for a good turnout.

“We have a lot of regulars,” she said. “That’s what I like about it here, it’s so inclusive of everybody in Portland.”

Ashcom credits the use of eDonor, an interface that allows people to make appointments to donate blood online, for the increase in donors—about 50 the first day.

To register for an appointment ahead of time, visit www.givelife.org