Blood drive seeking a few good donors

By Stephanie Simonson and Jennafer Wiebelhaus

VCNC reporters

Ventura College is in the midst of a blood drive. The United Blood Services mobile lab was parked in front of the VC gym on May 1 and will be there through May 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

To donate blood, an appointment is necessary and can be obtained by calling (805) 654-8104 or online at www.bloodhero.com (enter the sponsor code “VC”).

The Bloodmobile usually gets at least 15 students to donate each time it visits the college, said Maricela Carpinteryro, a Ventura Blood Bank representative.

“Some reasons people are turned away from donating are high blood pressure, and if they have gotten a tattoo or piercing in the last 12 months,” she said.

A second blood drive will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 29, also in front of the gym.

For people who are interested in donating blood but cannot make it to the scheduled times, the Blood Center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays. The center is at 1756 Eastman Ave., behind Burlington Coat Factory.

Bloodhero.com encourages blood donations because only “one in twenty people give blood.”