On Thursday, Oct. 15th, Crimson Circle hosted a blood drive in St. Roberts auditorium. The service organization partnered with UCLA Health and its trained professionals to encourage students, faculty, alumni, and others to come out and donate.
For Crimson Circle, hosting the blood drive was nothing new. Jackson Levy, a member of the organization, said they host the event every semester because of its tie to their mission. “By donating one pint of blood, you can save three lives. So it aligns with our mission because we’re helping the LA community and people as a whole.”
Participants checked in on the sheet at the Crimson Circle tent outside, then made their way into the auditorium, where a medical professional greeted them. They filled out forms, completed a quick check to confirm they were eligible to donate, and were sent on to the seats.
Chairs lined the wall, where participants could finish their forms and wait to be called. Small covered booths each hosted one participant and one UCLA medical professional, who checked on the donor throughout.
For some donors, the hardest part was getting in the door. Candace Yamegni, a junior psychology major and economics minor, said she used to be afraid of giving blood. “It was a really big thing for me,” she said. “But it’s all about getting over my little tiny fears, because I know that I’m doing something good for other people.”
Yamegni’s advice to nervous first-timers is to trust the people running the drive. “The invited professionals do this for a living. They know what they’re doing. They don’t want it to be painful for you,” she said. “It’s important to them that you donate, but it’s also important to them that you don’t have a bad experience, because if you do, you’re not going to want to donate again.”
Others came back because of how good the experience felt. Ethan Jed, a senior finance major, first donated in 2023 after seeing advertisements for the drive.
“The food is cool, the music is kind of fun, and it makes you feel good too,” he said. “You save a couple lives, so it’s all around a pretty good thing.”
Jed also sees a broader benefit. “I think it builds community. You show care towards the vulnerable members of the community, which is something more people should do.”
Daryious Anderson, a sophomore journalism major and reporter at the lion had donated before in Seattle. He said the atmosphere at LMU was different. “This experience at LMU was a little more community-based,” he said. “The UCLA students almost felt like LMU students. They felt like they were already a part of our community. They talked to me with just as much zeal as other students on campus. I didn’t get that experience when I first donated blood in Seattle. It was very rigid. It was very clinical.”
Anderson said the staff, who were close to his own age, “didn’t draw any harsh lines between the fact that they were UCLA.” He even unexpectedly found friends.
Anderson did have one hesitation going in. With news of rising hand, foot and mouth disease among students and concerns about other bloodborne pathogens, he wondered about cleanliness. Those worries faded on site. “Everyone was wearing PPE. Everyone was very clean,” he said. “From what I could see, everyone was doing what they could to maintain cleanliness, and I thought that was great.”
“Getting more word out that you get a $10 gift card afterwards could have been helpful.” He said organisers could do more to promote the perks. “Not only the feeling of having done something really good and positive, but sometimes just the free snacks, is great.”
Still, Anderson said the experience was worth it, and he would give it again. “What I did was such a small thing in comparison to the giant effect of saving a life,” he said. “I’m happy to help. I would definitely do it again for anyone.”
