A ribbon cutting marked the official start of the MIZZOU Homecoming Blood Drive.
By David Strom, American Red Cross
Setting up a mammoth blood drive is akin to building a 100-bed hospital emergency department from scratch and then taking it down a few days later. I got to see this in person with what is reported to be the largest student-run blood drive in the nation. Columbia is the city where you can find the University of Missouri, popularly called Mizzou, home to more than 30,000 students. For more than 40 years, the school has hosted blood drives in partnership with the American Red Cross. This year they broke their own record, collecting over 5,000 units of blood.
I have been donating blood for decades and never saw this massive scale before, so coming into the student recreation center and seeing it outfitted for a blood drive literally took my breath away in awe. What would normally be a series of basketball pickup games was instead filled with stretchers, blood drawing equipment, and hundreds of chairs for waiting donors and tables filled with snacks. The blood drive had several celebrity mascots in attendance, including Truman, the mascot of the Mizzou Tigers (named after the former president who came from the Kansas City area), Buddy the blood drop, and Snoopy, the Peanuts cartoon character as part of the partnership between Peanuts and the Red Cross celebrating the 75-year anniversary of Peanuts.
There were Red Cross staffers from around the Missouri-Arkansas region working alongside student volunteers who checked in potential donors, distributed snacks and gave those who donated commemorative Red Cross x Mizzou t-shirts. The high energy coming from everyone was electrifying. Some of the volunteers were nurses from Mizzou’s nursing school like Emma Renz and Mary Kate Rocco, who quickly took care of the donor students who needed further aid. “There are always a few people who don’t feel well at any blood drive,” said Rocco. “And this is great experience for us too.” Both women came from families with medical professionals, which was a common thread in my interviews of many of the students that either were helping staff the blood drive or donating blood themselves.
Nursing students Emma Renz (l) and Mary Kate Rocco (r) volunteer at the MIZZOU Homecoming blood drive.
Red Cross phlebotomist Jenise McKee readies Jake McCarthy for his Power Red blood donation.
Another pair of student volunteers were Macy Mattison and Althea Meyer who were handing out snacks to the donors. Meyer is majoring in nursing and got interested in volunteering when she got diagnosed as anemic. Mattison is majoring in business and finance.
At one station was Red Crosser Jenise McKee, getting ready to start a Power Red donation from Jake McCarthy. He is a pre-med junior and is a liaison to Kappa Sigma fraternity, which means he recruits other members of his house to donate. He is from St. Louis and a big fan of blood drives, having donated all the various ways that you can. “Power Red is the easier way to give a lot of blood at once,” he said, since two units of blood are taken in one sitting. “I like being able to help people and save lives with my donation,” he said. McKee has trained many of the phlebotomists that were stationed around the gym. True to form, she tried to recruit me to become a Power Red donor in the future.
Two other students were checking in donors at the Power Red table, Emily Krupa and Ava Briegel. Krupa is a sophomore pre-med from Kansas City, Briegel a freshman nursing student from Chicago.
Connor Grossenburg is from Marshall, MO and a senior majoring in marketing. Inspired by his grandfather, who became a ten-gallon donor when Grossenburg was a teen, this blood drive marked Grossenburg’s 12th time donating blood. “I got more excited being a blood donor than getting my driver’s license,” he told me.
I met another Red Cross phlebotomist, Tracy Chestnut, who had pinned a picture of her nephew Doug Jr. to her uniform. He took his life ten years ago when he was 22, and this was one way to honor his memory.
What unfolded at Mizzou was more than a record-breaking blood drive. It was the epitome of collaboration, compassion, and community spirit. Students, alumni, and Red Crossers filled the gym with an atmosphere that was both deeply moving and wildly efficient, proving that when people come together with purpose, they can build something extraordinary.
Red Cross phlebotomist Tracy Chestnut honors her nephew Doug Jr.’s memory.
Support all the urgent humanitarian needs of the American Red Cross.
Find a drive and schedule a blood donation appointment today.
Your time and talent can make a real difference in people’s lives. Discover the role that's right for you and join us today!
