I’m a frequent blood donor, and have been for two years now. I try to donate whenever possible, and the school’s blood drive really helps with that. In fact, out of the seven times I’ve donated in the past, five of them have been through an event organized at Robinson.

Yes, I am blatantly biased here. Through donating, I’ve learned that I have the “universal donor” blood type, meaning my blood can be donated to anyone. This means that the Oneblood donation center leaves me several voicemails, emails, and physical letters as soon as I’m able to donate again, trying to suction up as much as they can of my iron-rich liquid gold.

It’s all completely worth it though, for many reasons. For example, did I mention how much FREE STUFF I get from giving blood? Like seriously, you get so much FREE STUFF from giving blood. Here’s an itemized list of what I’ve been granted in the past three years:

– T-shirts (3)
– Pairs of socks (2)
– Fleece Blanket (1)
– E-gift cards (~$60 worth)
– Cans of Coke (5)
– Bottles of Gatorade (2)
– Bottles of water (3)
– Slices of pizza (2)
– Assorted cakes & cookies (4)

Not to mention, at post-donation, you ascend to the morally superior blood donation club, where you get to exchange thumbs-ups with other people on the street who are also wearing the t-shirts or still have gauze wrapped around their arms from donations. It’s like the “Jeep Wave” but with the added coolness of not being afraid of needles.

Speaking of moral superiority, this is a completely infallible argument. If you choose not to donate blood, you’re literally making it harder for someone in a life-threatening situation to get the blood they need. Not only that, but for people like myself, who can only take blood from the same blood type, knowing that there’s a decently-sized store of it somewhere, thanks to other donors, alleviates a lot of worries if I were to end up in a life-threatening situation. You want to become an objectively better person? Donate blood.

Giving blood has a myriad of health benefits, as well. For one, given the fact that there is simply less blood in your body post-donation, your blood pressure experiences a temporary drop and kicks your bone marrow into blood-producing high gear again. Not to mention, you’re provided with a full health screen after each donation, allowing you a free and easy way to track your cholesterol, blood pressure, and iron count. I even got a free COVID-19 antibody test with a donation last year.

Unless they have a pre-existing condition, can’t donate for health reasons, or anything else, I don’t see why one wouldn’t bother donating blood if the opportunity presents itself. And there being a donation option at Robinson, makes it all the easier. It’s a good way to make a positive impact in your community while also having a good time.