By Kelly Kruger, SBA Philanthropy Chair
The SBA and the American Red Cross put on their annual blood drive on October 30th. The event was another overall success! The Red Cross collected 33 units of blood from 1-6pm. Overall, there were 39 people who signed in along with 14 new donors. Some of the other numbers crunched were 8 deferrals and 2 extra units from the Double Red Cell procedures done.
The beginning of the blood drive especially started with a bang as 17 people came in the first hour. We apologize for any extra wait time as this rush of donors made it busy, but everything went smoothly in the end. The Red Cross was very grateful for every unit donated and looks forward to success in the future. For those who may not have had the chance to donate this time or are not sure about the process, please know that the donation process is safe and simple. Every blood donor goes through registration and a medical history process, a mini physical, the donation, and finally refreshments are given out. The entire process lasts about one hour, but the donations last only 10-12 minutes.
Donating blood is scary to some people, but remember that every two seconds someone in America needs blood and 38,000 blood donations are needed every day. This is a great way to give, especially for law students who may not be able to give financially or donate a lot of other time outside of the law school to local charities. So get ready for the blood drive next semester!
In other news, the SBA’s 1st annual book drive ended last month with a good number of books collected. The books will be sorted and donated to local elementary schools in Valparaiso. Since reading is often cited as being fundamental to a young child’s future success in school and life, this book drive was developed to give back to our local community. Your SBA wants to thank everyone who was able to donate!
Have you seen the little houses around the school lately near the waste collectors? These are the Ronald McDonald pop tab houses that are there to collect pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The Ronald McDonald House Pop Tab Collection Program was established in 1987 by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Ronald McDonald House community. The program provides a “home away from home” for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.
To date, more than 400 million pop tabs have been collected, generating more than $4 million. While the actual cost to operate a room varies from $50-$100 per night, families are asked to donate an average of $5-$25 per night to stay at the House. However, the fee is waived for those who cannot afford it. The difference is made up through donations. Thanks to support from individual and corporate donors, families are never turned away because of their inability to pay. More than 10 million families around the world have benefited from the comfort provided by a Ronald McDonald House. Please save your pop tabs and drop them in the house before putting your cans in the recycling bins. Together our law school can make a difference! For more information, please go to www.rmch.com and bring in your pop tabs!
SAVE YOUR PENNIES NOW! Let’s put good old Abe to work with another philanthropic event that will be held during law week (February 10-16). We will have penny wars between the classes (1L, 2L, and 3L). The total monies collected will go to the Indiana Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients program. The class that collects the most money will get a pizza party. Thank you to everyone who has been able to help with these events so far this year! Your SBA has personally committed this year to not only dedicating its efforts for the betterment of our law school community but giving back to others as well. There are always great opportunities to help others here at the law school from the VU Day of Caring, to the Book Drive, PDP’s pumpkin carving event for local children, PAD’s adopt a family program, and many more. Your SBA is always looking for dedicated students willing and able to help in these great causes.
Anyone interested in helping with the philanthropic committee should contact Kelly Kruger at kelly.kruger@valpo.edu for more information.
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