About the event
Blood supplies dip every year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, when regular donors travel and drives stop. The fall campus drive is timed to land just before that dip. The regional blood center brings the staff, beds and equipment. The Student Nurses Association runs check-in, the canteen and the reminder texts. Last fall’s drive collected 148 units, and the goal this year is 160.
A whole-blood donation takes about an hour from check-in to cookies, and only eight to ten minutes of that is the donation itself. First-time donors are about a third of each campus drive. Staff are used to nerves and will talk you through every step.
Schedule
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Nov 17, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Donations by appointment and walk-in | Founders Union ballroom |
| Wed, Nov 18, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Donations by appointment and walk-in | Founders Union ballroom |
| Both days, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. | Busiest window; book ahead | — |
Location and access
The ballroom is on the upper level of Founders Union, by elevator from the information desk. Community donors can park free in the visitor spaces by the union for the length of their appointment. Ask at check-in for a parking slip. Tell staff if you need an interpreter or have a disability that affects positioning. They can usually accommodate it.
Registration and eligibility
Book a time in MyPorter or walk in. Appointments go first. Donors generally need to be at least 17 (16 with signed parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds and feel well that day. The blood center makes the final eligibility call. Eat a real meal and drink water beforehand. Bring a photo ID or your Porter Card.
Contact and related events
Student Health coordinates the drive with the blood center. Its regular services are on student health services. If you donate and feel unwell afterward, call the clinic. Earlier this fall, the flu shot clinics covered the other arm. For more ways to help, see volunteer on campus.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. This blood drive, its goal and its totals are invented, and nobody will collect blood here. Real blood centers near you do need donors, though, and you should find one.