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Rotaract Club conducts blood drive

Rotaract Club leaders from left to right: secretary AJ McGugin, Vice President Huyen Dam, President Maddilyn Arms and professional relations director Maya Johnson. (Photo by Abby Dykes)

Tech Rotaract Club members conducted their third annual blood drive Wednesday.

“One donation saves three lives. If you add it up, that saves a lot of lives,”Vice President Huyen Dam said.

The Rotaract Club began in 1968, and currently consists of 81 members. They are a service-based club that focuses on helping the community, Dam said. The event was on the Main Quad near Bell Hall.

The club used Blood Assurance, located in Cookeville, for the event.

“Blood Assurance brings a mobile van that has all the equipment we need. It hosts a smaller number of people, but it makes it more accessible,”Professional Relations Director Maya Johnson said. “It takes 15 minutes. It doesn’t take long.”

Along with blood drives, the club also helps with river cleanup, Habitat for Humanity, international mission trips and other service-based projects, Dam said.

“Our motto is service above self, so we want to make sure we’re applying that to our lives and on campus. We want to be involved as much as we can,”Rotaract President Maddilyn Arms said.

To be eligible for donating blood, the participant must be at least 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds and be in good health.

Blood Assurance uses donated blood to serve local hospitals in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina, according to its website.