It may come as a shock to most people that March is National Red Cross Month. On March 31 from 12:30p.m. to 6:30p.m., Stevenson’s National Residence Hall Honor Society will sponsor a blood drive in Garrison Hall.

The National Residence Hall Honor Society is made up of the top 1 percent of students who live on campus and have a GPA of 3.0 and above. These students must also be involved with service and leadership at Stevenson in order to join.

“We want to help the American Red Cross any way we possibly can. There is a shortage of O- and O+ blood, and we really want to help them with this,” said Evan Huckfeldt, advisor of the National Residence Hall Society. ”We are shooting for 50 donations but ideally we would like 100,” Huckfeldt said.

Donating blood may evoke fear in some, but it is extremely important. Clean and safe blood can save a life and improve health. Donated blood is also used for blood transfusions for people who may be sick or hurt.

According to the World Health Organization, blood transfusions are needed for women with pregnancy complications, children who are malnourished, people suffering severe trauma following accidents, and many surgical and cancer patients.

The American Red Cross recently introduced a new way to speed up the process of donating blood called RapidPass. This process allows donors to complete readings and donation questions from the comfort of their home or office, rather than spending extra time in the waiting room.

To donate blood is a quick four-step process. First, the staff members sign donors in and go over any information that is needed. Second, a mini-physical takes place to make sure that the donor is healthy enough to donate. The third step is the actual donation.  The final step includes restoring energy back into the body with the available free food and beverages after the donation.