According to redcross.org, over 97 percent of the United States population will receive a blood transfusion in their lifetime. Taking an hour out of your day can help save three lives.

The blood drive was held on the University of Wisconsin-Platteville campus in Velzy Commons. It was hosted by the Residence Hall Association, the National Residence Hall Honorary and Delta Sigma Phi.

Junior civil engineering major and Delta Sigma Phi president, Carl Zarbock, was one of the many people to donate blood this spring.

“Delta Sigma Phi has always been a part of the volunteers at the Blood Drive each semester. Just recently, maybe like a year and a half ago, we started to co-sponsor the Blood Drive with UW-Platteville,” Zarbock said. “With this responsibility, we try our best to have active members make up a good portion of the volunteers each day of the Blood Drive. The American Red Cross is our National Philanthropy, but we don’t treat it as a requirement. We volunteer to help save lives.”

Zarbock also went on to discuss how much blood the UW-Platteville campus and community raised. This semester, the community raised enough blood to save around 2100 lives. This is around 750 pints of blood.

“Seeing that number just makes you feel good about what you did to help out,” Zarbock said. “Many of our actives donate as well; volunteering isn’t enough in our eyes. Having that chance to impact somebody’s life by only giving up a couple hours of free time, is something we enjoy every semester.”

Although the turnout was high, issues arose when a local woman was fired from her job at American Red Cross.

“I love helping others, unfortunately, helping others may have cost me my job,” former American Red Cross employee Desiree Pope said.

Pope was returning to work from a mobile blood drive when she came across two boys under the age of 10 walking after dark in a dangerous neighborhood. With her family in mind, she pulled over to ask if they needed a ride. After buckling them in, she continued four blocks to their house and dropped them off safely.

Five days later the Red Cross fired her for being a good Samaritan. Pope is fighting her termination by asking to say “The Red Cross can do better: Put the good Samaritan back to work where she belongs!” At the time of this publication Pope has just over 300 signatures for her online petition.