Greek Week blood drive strives to meet goal

Service and philanthropy are an important facet of Greek life.

By Evan Spaulding

Published April 16, 2009

As part of Greek Week sponsored activities, Greek organizations held a blood drive in partnership with the American Red Cross. Participating members of Greek organizations staffed recovery tables, providing food to donors as well as directing donors through the Red Cross screening process.

Steering Committee Director Chris Timmerman said the goal of the event was to donate 3,380 units of blood to the Red Cross.

"Every year we try to beat the total from the year before by going out in the community and trying to encourage more people, make them more aware of the blood shortage and hopefully have more units than we did in previous years," Timmerman said. "It's one of the events that everybody looks forward to all year."

Those wanting to give blood were able to support their chapters by donating toward points in the competitive portion of Greek Week.

According to the Greek Week Web site, participating groupings compete in four categories to win 875 points, the maximum number for the event. The categories include chapter education, in which a certain percentage of a grouping must take an online quiz about the blood drive and blood donation and additional donor points, in which Greeks would recruit people to donate for their chapter.

Beta Theta Pi fraternity member Matt Connell said Greek students went into the community and asked unaffiliated friends to get satellite donors.

"They say for every time you donate, you save three lives," Connell said. "You're not just doing something for yourself, you are doing something for three other people who are in need."

Blood Committee member Stephanie Oetting said although the previous day total of 1,700 units was short of their goal, all those involved remained positive about achieving the goal number.

"We hope to make up for it today", Oetting said.

Oetting said the economic situation made it much more difficult to find sponsors, as area businesses have had to scale back donations.

"The public relations committee has worked hard, and we hope to be able to provide our beneficiaries the equivalent amount that we were able to provide last year," Oetting said.

Timmerman said that this year, Greek Week had eight sponsors, which was less than last year. The overall goal of the event was to give back to the community, she said.

"It's pretty much all about saving lives and getting as many units of blood as we can," Timmerman said.

This year, spring break is extending Greek Week through next week, when the Fling competition and the sports championships will take place.

Timmerman said a large part of Greek Week events is pride.

"It's every grouping's opportunity to shine in athletics, community service, philanthropy, kind of all the things that we Greeks pride ourselves on, that's what Greek Week is," Timmerman said.

Greek Week beneficiaries include Meals on Wheels, the American Red Cross, MedZou, Jumpstart and adult day care centers.

"It's important to remember that we, as students here in Columbia, get so much from the community and so much from the university," Timmerman said. "It's our chance to give back, not only as Greeks but as members of the community."