With local and regional blood donations centers flooded with potential donors hoping to help the injured recover from Tuesday's terrorist attacks, the volume of volunteers has overwhelmed many centers and prevented hundreds from donating.
The American Red Cross has not yet called for emergency donors, and according to its Web site, is concerned about having too many immediate donors but not having enough in the coming weeks.
In response to a growing number of Penn students expressing interest in donating blood, Wharton senior Rob Smith coordinated a blood drive to be held today in the rooftop lounge of Harrison College House.
Smith, who has run blood drives in the past, said he used his connections to arrange this event soon after hearing about the terrorist attacks on Tuesday.
"I was basically able to pull some strings to arrange it because they knew how successful all the other drives I ran were," Smith said. "They knew I'd be able to pull it off in two days."
"It's really just the only thing we can do," he added.
Organizers are hoping the drive will collect 100 units of usable blood, which will then be delivered to the Red Cross Penn-Jersey Blood Region.
One of three areas sending blood to victims in New York and Washington, the Penn-Jersey region will continue to need blood in the coming months.
Smith said that those who cannot donate blood immediately -- either at community blood donation centers or at the Musser Blood Center at 7th and Spring Garden streets -- should contact the Red Cross to make an appointment in the next few weeks.
Tomorrow's blood drive is open to only about 190 students who already have appointments, Smith said, and all walk-ins will be turned away.
"It really is going to be crazy already, and if people start walking in it will become unreasonable," he said.
A blood donation center at 4601 Market Street, inundated with walk-in donors on Tuesday, closed its doors today and will reopen on Saturday. Other community blood donation centers are slated to receive donors through the week.
