Friday, Feb. 28, 1997

Group runs circles for Red Cross

By DAVID EDELSON
Collegian Staff Writer

Due to a recent slow down of blood donors, both at the University and in Centre County, one group has raised $1,000 to benefit the efforts of the local American Red Cross.

Seth Hendler (freshman-landscape architecture), Lindsay Kellogg (sophomore-engineering) and Aimee Schonhardt (sophomore-secondary education) present Virginia Brown of the American Red Cross Centre Communities Chapter with a $1,000 check. The three student members of Circle K helped raise money for the Red Cross. (Collegian Photo/Nikki Shimshock - click for full size image)

Circle K, the collegiate chapter of the Kiwanis Club, presented a check to the Red Cross yesterday at a campus blood drive sponsored by the Red Cross, Circle K and the Penn State Student Red Cross Club in the HUB Ballroom.

The group has been raising money since last semester, said Aimee Schonhardt, the fund-raising chairwoman for the group.

"We sold programs, raked leaves, sold T-shirts and worked elections," Schonhardt (sophomore-secondary education) said.

Fund raising for the Red Cross is one way the group thought it could make a difference and help people, she said.

So far, the money has not been allocated for any specific department, said Virginia Brown, the executive director of the Centre Communities Chapter of the American Red Cross.

"If the group doesn't put any restrictions on where it can be used," Brown said, "then it goes to whichever of our three departments is in greater need of the money -- either blood services, health safety or emergency services."

Circle K would like to see the money go to wherever the Red Cross needs it the most, Schonhardt said.

CORRECTION:: The photo cutline incorrectly stated the amount of money donated by Circle K. The correct amount now appears.

The donation came at a time where there is a nationwide decline in the number of blood donations the Red Cross is receiving.

"Students seem preoccupied with other things," said Connie Schroeder, campus coordinator for the American Red Cross Blood Services. "In many cases there is a lack of awareness."

The goal of the blood drive was 100 units which constitutes one-eighth of the blood used daily by hospitals that are served by the Johnstown Region of the American Red Cross.

By 12:30 p.m. the Red Cross was on pace for its goal with nearly 40 donors already giving blood, Schroeder said.

"We have tried hard to raise visibility, we are passing out fliers and made several hundred phone calls," she said. "We are doing what we can."

Blood donations average between 13,000 and 14,000 each year for Centre County, Brown said. Although there are years where donations exceed or fall short of those numbers, the county has never really had a bad blood shortage.

"We have never had to tell a hospital that they couldn't perform certain medical procedures," Brown said.

Chad Shenk (junior-psychology) was one of the donors at the blood drive.

"I gave for the satisfaction of helping people," Shenk said. "You never know, maybe one day I'll be the one who needs it."