Elizabeth Pulanco/Winonan

Fall activities in the Winona State University community include walking around the lake, hiking the bluffs and donating blood.

Last week, Winona State and the American Red Cross sponsored a biannual blood drive located in the East Hall of Kryzsko Commons.

As the Student Services Committee Chair for Student Senate, nursing student Nicole Zimmerman was in charge of coordinating the fall semester blood drive.

“I work with someone from the American Red Cross office in St. Paul,” Zimmerman said. “She has done many blood drives, and she especially loves Winona State because we always have a great turnout.”

The rest of the Student Services Committee also helped Zimmerman organize the blood drive.

The blood drive started on Tuesday and ended on Thursday. Throughout the week, students and other members of the community stopped in to make their donations.

As people were donating, passing bystanders would watch the donations as they walked by. The more squeamish students would avoid looking the direction of the donations entirely.

Before the donations occurred, students had to check in with volunteers to confirm their appointments.

Senior Maddy Leonard volunteered to check in donators as a part of the service mission for her sorority.

“I can’t donate because I don’t fit the requirements, but I still volunteer to help out the cause,” Leonard said.

Once the donators were checked in, they sat down until their name was called for their appointment. While waiting to donate, individuals were given Red Cross reading material, which contained any information they would need to know before donating.

Junior Sarah Sussman has been donating blood regularly since she was 18. The first time she donated blood, her father joined her and the two donated together.

“I always wanted to donate blood when I was little,” Sussman said. “I saw my parents do it so it seemed like a normal thing to do.”

Junior Samantha Kliminski was also an experienced blood donator.

“I wasn’t very nervous the first time I donated because needles don’t really bother me,” Kliminski said. “Giving blood is something easy I can do to help out.”

After giving blood, donators made their way to a table of snacks specifically set up for them. Treats like cookies and potato chips were given to donators to make sure blood salt and sugar levels were maintained.

One of the students waiting at the snack table was first-year student Megan Tillema. Tillema came to the blood drive after hearing about it from a friend. This was her second time donating.

“I was really scared my first time donating,” Tillema said.  “I was nervous about the needles and possibly fainting, but it didn’t happen.”

There are certain health requirements that need to be met before donating blood.  Even if a person meets the requirements they may be scared or hesitant about donating blood.

According to Zimmerman, people who are nervous about donating blood have no reason to be worried.

“If you’re able to give blood, you should absolutely try it,” Zimmerman said. “It’s not nearly as scary as you might think it is.”

As the donation days continued, the Red Cross saw a consistent number of donations.

“In the three days of the drive, there were almost 500 donations,” Zimmerman, who also donated blood herself, said. “That blood is going to help people who need it.”

Being a college student herself, Zimmerman thinks giving blood is a great activity for college students that want to give back.

“College students do not have a lot of money to contribute to causes that are important to them,” Zimmerman said. “Donating blood is something you don’t have to have money to do to provide a positive change.”

During the spring semester, a second blood drive will give students another opportunity to make a positive change in their community and in the lives of others.

For people who do not want to wait until spring, there are still options for donating. Winona Health occasionally holds blood drives, and the American Red Cross has a Southeast Minnesota Chapter located in Rochester that is open for all individuals wanting to donate blood.