Harvard Business School Blood Drive

Tuesday, July 17, 2001, 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Shad Hall
Top 10 Reasons to Give Blood

10. You’ll get a sticker you can wear the rest of the day – “Be nice to me, I donated blood today.”
9. You can add a new vocabulary word to your daily conversations to describe your heroic experience:
* Phlebotomy – the therapeutic practice of opening a vein to draw blood; phlebotomist, n; phlebotomical adj.
8. This is a great opportunity for those who haven’t met that “someone special” yet, because donors will talk to anyone for the 15-20 minutes while they’re giving blood
7. Free food and drinks are provided…need I say more?
6. Your blood is needed-the Red Cross will take anyone’s blood*, even Lee Monahan’s!
5. You’ll impress your friends and family with your selfless and giving nature. (They’ll even think you’re brave because of that needle-what they don’t know is that it doesn’t hurt)
4. As well as giving to the community, you’ll also be giving back to your section because the section with the most participation will earn $100 from the Armed Forces Alumni Association- “Hoo-ah!” (That’s military jargon for, among other things, All right!)
3. Over 1,200 units of blood need to be collected daily to meet the needs of patients in New England. Every donation counts!
2. Allows you to multi-task (an important skill set to develop for future business leaders) because you can read your cases while donating.
1. Blood cannot be manufactured. Until an HBS graduate patents synthetic blood, the Red Cross will have to rely on the old-fashioned way of collecting it. Be all that you can be and volunteer today! (It’s much easier than joining the Army) *Fitting specified donor eligibility guidelines

On a more serious note…
Giving Blood Fast Facts
The Need is Great. . .

o Blood cannot be manufactured. Its only source is a healthy volunteer donor.
o The American Red Cross provides about half the nation’s blood supply- roughly six million pints per year.
o Nationally, less than 5% of the population gives blood, supporting the other 95%.
o 1,400 pints of blood must be collected every working day in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont to meet patient needs.
o In general, fewer people donate during summer months and holidays, but blood usage often increases. Summer and holiday donors are especially valuable.
o Blood is perishable. Red blood cells must be used within 42 days. Other blood products must be used within 5 days.
o Over the past three years, one million fewer people have donated blood.
o One pint of blood is separated into its component parts-red cells, plasma and platelets-and given to several different patients.
o Blood products are used for surgery, trauma, chemotherapy, kidney dialysis, hemophilia, shock and other life-threatening conditions.

Sign up for an appointment with your section coordinator:
H – Gail Seymour, I – Janet Greer, J – Kathleen Malone, K- Bill Berrien; or contact Gail Seymour at gseymour @mba2002.hbs.edu.