Looking for COVID Antibodies at Blood Drive
Cedarville University students hope their blood drive on November 12 at Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville will yield new plasma donors in the fight against COVID-19.
On Thursday, Nov. 12, Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville will host a Red Cross blood drive from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in its gymnasium. To register, participants can visit RedCrossBlood.org (sponsor code CU), call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or contact Emily Greenhouse, the drive organizer, at 925-984-0128.
Greenhouse, a junior nursing major from Danville, California, is excited for the opportunity to host this drive during the pandemic, specifically with how it may help COVID patients. Donors whose blood samples contain COVID-19 antibodies will be notified by the Red Cross.
“Donating blood during COVID-19 is a unique way to help those battling the coronavirus,” she shared. “Plasma from whole blood donations that test positive for COVID-19 antibodies can go to coronavirus patients in need of convalescent plasma transfusions. If you or someone you know has tested positive and recovered from the coronavirus, donating whole blood with the Red Cross is a special way for you to give back to the community.”
“The Red Cross' mission is to alleviate human suffering, and running blood drives is the part I play in achieving their goal,” Greenhouse said. “In addition, seeing friends and family members receive blood transfusions truly brings to life the need for blood donors across the globe.”
Greenhouse has previously co-coordinated three blood drives through her exclusive internship with the Red Cross Collegiate Leadership Program. The Nov. 12 drive will be the first she has organized completely on her own.
“There are 13 of us in the internship program, and our responsibilities include running at least one blood drive per semester through the university,” Greenhouse shared. “It has been an amazing experience so far, and I am honored to serve alongside some incredible student leaders.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,550 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, such as the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.