Seventy-one students donated one pint of blood each at the J.W. Smith Student Center on Tuesday.
The blood collected will go to patients at USC Medical Center. University representatives had potential donors fill out a history report and answer questions during a 15-minute interview before giving blood.

Janet Kingsford, 62, senior instructional lab tech in the computer center, was in the student center donating blood Tuesday morning. She said she did it “because I like to help people, and I have `O’ blood. They like people with `O’ blood.”

Kingsford was referring to the fact that Type O blood is considered the universal donor and is compatible with any recipient’s blood.

Among others present at the drive was A.S. President Dan Wengert, who contributed a pint too.
“I think it’s important to donate blood and continue helping,” said Wengert. The need for blood donations is “not just something that happened for six months after Sept. 11. It’s a sustained movement that went on before the event and has to go on for the people in need.”

Donor recruitment representative Sandra Hilbarger, 47, said she was pleased with the donor turnout. “When I arrange a blood drive I set a goal. For Glendale, my goal was to collect 70 pints, but we collected 71. We had a good crew,” she said.

“We hope to come back in the fall,” said Hilbarger.

Glendale Community College usually holds one blood drive per semester. Ronny Hovanessian, A.S. vice president of campus activities, who organized the blood drive last year, said the next one will probably be in October.