This week, students with the School of Dental Medicine’s American Student Dental Association (ASDA) chapter hosted a blood drive with the American Red Cross on UConn Health’s Farmington campus.
Earlier this year, the students won a wellness grant from the national ASDA for their idea to host a blood drive. Third-year student Madeline Montenegro, a member of UConn’s ASDA chapter and an active volunteer with the American Red Cross, proposed the idea after learning that many of her classmates were interested in donating blood.
“I have heard a lot of interest from my classmates about donating blood, so I reached out to the Red Cross for their approval, and the plan was set in motion,” said Madeline.
The blood drive had 43 open donation spots, with the goal of collecting 25 units from 25 donors. The students successfully collected 35 units—with 16 of the units being from first time blood donors.
The students received positive feedback from students, donors, and the Red Cross. Danielle Huntington, a manager with the Red Cross said, “it is practically unheard of for a blood drive to collect 10 more units than expected, it’s the best-case scenario in our world.”
After the success of this year’s blood drive, Madeline is hopeful that the students will be able to host again in the future.
“We would all love to work together again for a future blood drive,” she says.
