From September 4-6, the students of Andrews University participated in several service projects on campus as well as in the community during Change Weekend. One event that took place on campus was the Red Cross Blood Drive on Friday, Sep. 4. To increase social distancing, the blood drive was by sign up only. They offered incentives such as a Change Day shirt, exclusive Red Cross socks and even co-curricular credit for participating. Many students were moved to donate and a record number of 70 people signed up to participate, filling up the slots days before the actual event.
There were many precautions taken to make sure that everyone participating in the blood drive was safe. Once entering at your assigned appointment time, you were greeted and given hand sanitizer as well as a temperature check. All staff and participants were required to wear masks and to the best of their ability, keep social distancing.
Teela Ruehle (Director of Student Missions and Service) said, “The policies that are put in place are extensive, and the Red Cross is working with the WHO and CDC to ensure this event is safe. In fact, it’s probably safer than going to the grocery store.”
Many students look forward every year to Change Day as a way to give back to the community. Although school has been a little bit different this year due to the pandemic, the needs of the community have not changed and they still need help, now more than ever. The pandemic has caused a nationwide blood shortage, so it is critical for people to consider donating blood if they are able to.
Janice Pakkianathan (senior, biology) said, “Even though things are different this year, Change Weekend still gave people many opportunities to serve the community while ensuring the safety of everyone involved. I especially wanted to participate in the blood drive; due to the pandemic there has been a blood shortage, and I thought that this would be a great way to help others during this time.”
Change Weekend allowed the school to still reach out to the community while keeping up with social distancing practices. There were opportunities to participate here on campus, for example through the blood drive, and off campus (drive-thru food giveaway). There was even an outreach project for those more comfortable staying in their room, in which students were able to make cards for the elderly in nursing homes around the community. Although these things may seem small, they are all making a great impact on the community.
Hope Malabrigo (junior, social work) says, “For those that didn’t feel comfortable for this weekend to participate we are doing service projects throughout the semester. Even if they have their own ideas and want to do a service project, they feel comfortable with, feel free to contact us and we are able to support and encourage these initiatives.”
Look out for upcoming service projects at https://www.andrews.edu/changehub/day/ or contact changehub@andrews.edu to learn more. Make sure to sign up to participate in the next Red Cross blood drive happening at Andrews University Pioneer Memorial Church on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/donation-time.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.