Giving blood, saving lives

The Flyer community has saved 14,244 lives since 2012, thanks to volunteers who give as little as 30 minutes of their time. Through the continuing efforts of the University of Dayton and its partnership with the Community Blood Center, 4,748 registered donors have participated in UD’s blood drives since 2012, with each donation saving up to three lives. 

These statistics, kept by the Community Blood Center, demonstrate the steadfast commitment by UD to address this need.  The University now hosts one blood drive each month of the school year. The Community Blood Center’s account manager for the Dayton area, Donna Teuscher, plans and organizes the UD blood drives in conjunction with about 50 student clubs and organizations who serve as sponsors of the drives.

“We have about four to six clubs each month,” Teuscher said. “These clubs work together to coordinate volunteers, sign up their members to donate blood, recruit donors and guide me on what improvements or changes to the blood drive they would like to see.”

Aidan Curran ’13 said he first became aware of the blood drives as a student. Now an employee of UD, he is a donor and said he plans to continue donating in 2020. His father, University president emeritus Daniel J. Curran, is the reason he donates.

“I give blood because people need it for life-saving medical treatments,” Curran said. “My father had a liver transplant and had a successful recovery due to donations.”

In 2012, 318 donors registered through UD. This number more than doubled in 2013 with 699 new donors registered, Teuscher said. Since then, the number of registered donors continues to increase.

The Community Blood Center’s drives, including the one held Jan. 22 at RecPlex, are hosted entirely by volunteers, and the not-for-profit organization relies on volunteer donations to save lives.

“CBC is proud to be associated with UD,” Teuscher said. “Your students and staff are both friendly and welcoming. We appreciate their hospitality and are grateful to those members of your staff who have been especially supportive of our blood drive success.”