KIRSTEN ADAIR | STAFF REPORTER

The Indiana Blood Center visited Butler this past Monday to collect donations from students, faculty and staff to help meet the needs of about 60 hospitals across the state.

“It is more important than people realize,” said freshman music education major and longtime blood donor Steph Rudi.

Donors were able to register online for a time slot in which they were to report to the Reilly Room. Once there, they filled out paperwork to ensure their eligibility to donate and waited for their turn.

Photos by Madison Vincent

“They tie a band on your arm and look for the vein they can use, and after they have you squeeze a stress ball they stick the needle in your vein and wait for a few minutes,” Rudi said. “When it is over they just pull out the needle and put a Band-Aid over it, then take away the blood.”

Clint Meeks and Ronald Gardner, employees of the Indiana Blood Center, said the blood from the center helps cancer patients, trauma patients, burn victims and anyone else who needs it.

“We see around 160,000 donors a year,” said Meeks. “People enjoy [donating], and it is good for you. It is like getting rid of oil in your car. You get rid of the old and your body makes new.”

Meeks and Gardner said people planning to donate blood should drink a lot of water, try not to eat or drink a lot of caffeine, try not to exercise before or after donating and eat frequent light meals.

They said it is important not to donate on an empty stomach.

Will Vogel, a strategic communication and sports media major who participated in the blood drive Monday, said donating is more critical than people believe.

“It’s important because [blood] is necessary to live,” he said. “There is no reason not to.”

Rudi agreed. She said attendance Monday was a little low and she would have liked to have seen it advertised more. She said she will likely continue to donate in the future.

“I have donated several times in the past and I enjoy being able to walk away feeling like I helped someone,” she said.