IFC, American Red Cross ask blood donors to have a heart

Kicking off a semester of community-oriented projects for the InterFraternity Council and a month of heavy university blood donor rotations for the American Red Cross, the two organizations co-sponsored a blood drive on campus Monday. More than 40 people came out to give blood at a station set up in a Locust Walk fraternity house. The IFC and the Red Cross surpassed their 36-pint goal to draw 41 pints of usable blood, according to IFC Vice President for Community Service Michael Flicker, a College junior. "I am very pleased with the turnout and the support we had from all of the houses in the IFC," the Sigma Alpha Mu brother said. "It was a success because we surpassed our goal." The success of Monday's IFC drive, which ran from noon to 5:30 p.m. at the Delta Phi fraternity -- better known as St. Elmo's -- continued a tradition of large donor turnout from the University's various organizations. Flicker said he chose the blood drive as one of the IFC's major community initiatives because it is an event "in which people have participated in the past and regularly attend." American Red Cross Blood Services Account Manager Kathleen Platt, who worked with the IFC to coordinate the first of this month's eight Red Cross drives on campus, said "all blood drives at the Penn campus last semester came in or above goal," adding that accumulating 36 usable pints was not difficult "with about 1,500 Greeks on campus." Since the space at St. Elmo's could only accommodate three beds, Flicker said the volunteers "had to turn away about 15 people" who could not afford more time than the 45 minutes required for drawing a pint of blood. Before donating for his fifth time, Wharton junior and Sigma Nu brother Ryan Miller said that giving blood "doesn't hurt me and it helps other people out." And veterans like Miller were in the majority yesterday. Red Cross Nurse Manager Donna Zanneo noted it was "surprising" that of the 29 donors she had seen by 3 p.m., only five were "first-timers." Ten of Monday's 41 participants were first-time donors. The Red Cross will sponsor another blood drive in the Quadrangle today. Later this month, the IFC will plant flowers in West Philadelphia for the community service component of Greek Weekend, a joint endeavor of the IFC, Panhellenic Council and BiCultural InterGreek Council.

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