CUIMC Community Gives Blood During Spring 2019 Columbia University Blood Drive

Nearly 70 people turned out to give blood on Thursday at Bard Hall during Columbia University’s spring 2019 blood drive campaign held in partnership with the New York Blood Center. 

“I think the participation has been quite steady, quite productive,” Keith Hylton, a team leader at the blood center, told CUIMC Today.

The ballroom at Bard Hall was transformed for the event, with blood donation stations set up in the center of the room. In other areas, donors—a mix of faculty, staff, and students—checked in or waited for their turn.

After giving blood, Lilly Murray, a research assistant with the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, sat at a table laden with snacks and juice. “I donate blood fairly regularly,” she said. “I just find that it’s a straightforward yet highly impactful and meaningful way to give back.” 

Ellen Brown, Murray’s fellow research assistant, was eager to give blood for the first time. But things didn’t turn out as she had planned. 

"I have lots of friends who do it consistently so I wanted to also try to give back in that way. But my veins were too small,” she said. 

If you missed Thursday’s event, you can still give blood in the University’s campaign. Here are the remaining dates and locations:

• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, Low Library Rotunda, near 116th Street and Broadway
• 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Kraft Center for Jewish Life, 606 W. 115th St., Lower level 1 (Rennert Hall)
• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, 2019, at The Forum, 605 W. 125th St.

Register at www.nybc.org/cu. Walk-ins are welcomed.