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Community spirit was on full display last Friday as Dalhousie Engineering and Dalhousie Commerce students band together to save lives.

In collaboration with Canadian Blood Services, the Dalhousie Undergraduate Engineering Society (DUES) and the Dalhousie Commerce Society (DSC) hosted their first ever blood drive.

It was all smiles as students gathered on a Canadian Blood Services bus and drove down to the organization’s donor centre on Bayers Road. Almost 30 students from both engineering and commerce took part in the blood drive. For many, including DUES president, Sarah Hall, it was their first-time donating blood.

“I’m not sure why I’ve never donated blood,” said Hall. “I was kind of hesitant because I’m not a huge needle person.”

Since learning more about the process, Hall, who helped spearhead Friday’s blood drive, has been actively raising awareness about the blood drive and the importance of donating.

The number one reason; it can help save lives. Every day, people across Canada and around the world depend on blood transfusions to survive.

“It’s a very small thing you can do that can make a really big difference in somebody’s life,” said Hall.

Both DUES and DCS began raising awareness about the blood drive in early October. To register for the event, students were encouraged to visit the Canadian Blood Services website, create an account, and then sign up for the Dal Engineering or Dal Commerce team.

TEAM NAMES:
For DalEng: DALE0114151
For DCS: DALH0112488

“Organizing events where engineering students give back to their community can leave students who participate feeling empowered and help create an engineering community culture outside of the classroom,” said Hall.

This is the second time that DUES and DCS have come together to organize a community fundraising event. Last March, Dalhousie Engineering and Dalhousie Commerce hosted a charity hockey game raising $100k for the Canadian Cancer Society.

“Our students really like working with Commerce. I think they see it as competition and collaboration. We like proving that engineering is better,” joked Hall. “But we are super lucky to have that kind of a partner society at Dalhousie that we can collaborate with.”

Hall says future event with the DSC are in the works, including another Dal Eng vs Dal Commerce hockey game scheduled for next March.

In the meantime, registration is still open for the Dal Eng and Dal Commerce blood drive. Hall says students are encouraged to make appointments on their own following the link above.

“Even though our kickoff event is over, the DalEng team is still open to join, and every donation can make a difference!”