Organized by Michael Kuta, Head Athletic Trainer and Instructor in Athletics, for the last time, the Red Cross Blood Drive took place last Friday. Students in Medicine (SIM) partners biannually with the American Red Cross to involve members of the Andover town community in donating blood.
This year’s campus blood drive carries special significance, as it will be the last one led by Kuta, who is retiring after years of championing the life-saving event. Long before the formation of the SIM club or the arrival of many current faculty, Kuta was the one who brought the blood drive to campus and ensured it became a lasting tradition. Dr. Amy Patel, SIM’s faculty advisor, Dean of Health and Wellness, and Chief Medical Officer, reflected on how the club and Kuta first partnered together.
“The Blood Drive was brought to campus by Mr. Kuta years and years ago, and that predates Students in Medicine and my time here. The relationship between [SIM] and the work that Mr. Kuta does to bring the blood drive here started maybe four or five years ago, when some other students had wanted to create a club of like a Red Cross club, and they wanted to hold a blood drive… I connected Mr. Kuta with these students and with [SIM] and now every year for the last several years, [SIM] helps to support signing up for the blood drive, supporting the day, sort of supporting students and the adults on the day of the blood drive, advertising, etc,” said Patel.
While this opportunity is available to students, only those who are sixteen and above can partake in blood donations. Julia Lamarche ’25, a 2024-2025 SIM co-head, shared that although students have to be sixteen or above to donate blood, students under that age limit can still volunteer to help organize and run the event. Additionally, some structures are planned to help welcome younger kids who are accompanying a relative.
“We ask [for] a lot of volunteers to come, so we’ll just have them sign people in, making sure that everybody’s there for their appointment, making sure all the technology is running smoothly. We have to put the kids on the floor and not sit at a table, which is kind of interesting; that’s what the Red Cross asks. We set up mats, and we have the volunteers sit with the donors who just gave [blood] to make sure that they feel okay and [they’ll] go with them to the bathroom if they’re feeling woozy or whatever,” said Lamarche.
Elisa Lee ’26, a SIM co-head, reflected on the challenges of organizing the blood drive this year. As SIM handles large-scale events with community care, Lee noted the difficulty of adjusting to the challenges and short time frame of this year.
“For this term in particular, everything’s been really rushed, because the first half of our term was dedicated to mental health and caring for the community. We didn’t want to do anything too big, at least in the first half of the term, just to give people space without feeling the pressure of ‘if I can’t go now, then maybe I can’t go later.” [We] tried to slow down, and now we’re trying to pick things back up. Especially since we have a new board, we want to get them involved and experienced before next year too, so that’s been a challenge, just doing everything in such a short amount of time,’ said Lee.
Ava Cai ’27, another SIM co-head, emphasized the vital role individual donors play in providing life-saving medical care across the country.
“Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, and it’s essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries, whether a patient receives whole blood, red cells, platelets, or plasma. This life-saving care starts with one person making a generous donation,” said Cai.
