For my first Stockton event I chose to help with the Red Cross Blood Drive on campus. I volunteered to work the sign-up tables in the Campus Center for a few hours one afternoon, and also decided to donate blood at the drive. During high school I participated in campaigns for an annual Blood Drive; I signed fellow classmates up to donate and helped organize the post-donation snacks. Having enjoyed my previous experience, I decided that Stockton’s Blood Drive would be an appropriate entrance into the service-learning requirement.

The first day of sign-ups was fairly successful during the time I was there. Tables were set up around the lower floor of the Campus Center food court and a sign-up sheet with a multitude of time slots was provided for students. I tried to answer any questions that potential donors had and gave out paper reminders with the date and time of their scheduled appointment. Unfortunately, appointments did not keep to the schedule on the actual day.

On Thursday, I had a 12:45 appointment; as courtesy, I arrived fifteen minutes early. After waiting in the staging area for approximately an hour, I moved on to the computer questionnaire and eventually began giving blood an hour and thirty minutes after the appointment time dictated. Every Red Cross employee I encountered was friendly and professional; and, despite the minor inconvenience, it was rewarding to help “save up to three lives,” as the slogan says. For subsequent blood drives, I would strongly recommend a punctual scheduling and donating process; but otherwise, I would like to commend all of the Stockton students and Red Cross volunteers for donating their time and effort to successfully complete the drive!