Penn State York Benefiting THON to host American Red Cross blood drive Jan. 22

Give Life, Give Blood
THON Blood Drive 2020

Penn State York Benefiting THON is joining with the American Red Cross for a blood drive on Wednesday, Jan. 22 from 10  a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Precision Custom Components (PCC) Community Room in the Joe and Rosie Ruhl Student Community Center on campus.  The blood drive is open to the public.

Credit: Barbara Dennis

YORK, Pa. — Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood, according to the American Red Cross. Penn State York Benefiting THON is partnering with the American Red Cross for a THON Blood Drive on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Penn State York. The blood drive is from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Precision Custom Components (PCC) Community Room of the Joe and Rosie Ruhl Student Community Center, and is open to the public.  

The American Red Cross will make a monetary donation to THON for each unit donated. Proceeds go to the campus THON committee's effort to raise money for Four Diamonds at Penn State Children’s Hospital. Four Diamonds helps children battling cancer and their families.

To schedule an appointment to donate blood, visit the American Red Cross website at redcrossblood.org and be sure to enter the zip code 17403. Scroll down until you reach Jan. 22 and the Joe and Rosie Ruhl Student Community Center; it does not say Penn State York.  Potential donors may also sign-up by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or contacting Jelena Young, Penn State York Benefiting THON chair, at [email protected], or Lilian LeVan, Penn State York Benefiting THON co-chair, at [email protected]. There is a critical need for blood right now, according to the American Red Cross. Registration is encouraged but walk-ins will also be accepted as the schedule permits.

Those who wish to streamline their donation experience, and save up to 15 minutes, can visit RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete a pre-donation reading and health history questions on the day of their appointment.

Those who can’t donate blood may still wish to support the dancers from Penn State York. Donate online right up until THON Weekend. Three students will represent Penn State York during THON Weekend, Feb. 21-23, and dance for 46 hours: Paige Barlow, Alvin Chen and Jen Taylor.

Donations made to the Penn State York Benefiting York THON will be credited to the campus and then added to the final THON total at University Park. Checks in support of THON should be made payable to: Penn State Dance Marathon or THON, and sent to Penn State York, 1031 Edgecomb Ave., York, PA 17403. Be sure to note "York, Org. 170" in the memo line of the check.

THON is the world’s largest student-run philanthropy, engaging more than 16,500 students and 25,000 alumni in the fight against childhood cancer. THON’s yearlong fundraising and awareness campaign culminates in a 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon every February. Since 1977, THON has donated more than $168 million to Four Diamonds at Penn State Children’s Hospital, funding comprehensive care and critical research.

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