SHU Community to Donate Hundreds of Pints in Blood Drives

Students, athletes, SHU president turn out to meet CT blood supply shortage

Hundreds of students, athletes, faculty and staff have signed up to roll up their sleeves as Sacred Heart University held the first of eight blood drives in nine weeks to meet a persistent, critical blood shortage in Connecticut.

University President John J. Petillo was the first donor on Feb. 16, the first of eight day-long drives expected to draw up to 600 participants. If 500 meet all the criteria to donate, the Connecticut Blood Center (CTBC) estimates they will save 1,500 lives, said spokesman Jonathan DeCasanova.

“This is kind of unheard of. This amount in one semester is an incredible feat,” he said.

In December, CTBC announced a “blood emergency,” exacerbated by seasonal decreases in blood donations during the holidays, winter weather and concern over COVID-19 variants. Pandemic safety shutdowns at campuses and corporations across the state meant the CTBC could not hold many of its regular mobile blood drives in Connecticut, DeCasanova said.

SHU is among the first universities in the region to begin scheduling vital drives, and the administration and student leaders have “truly done a tremendous job,” he said.

In November, Natalie Marques ’24, a biology major, began reaching out to fellow members of the equestrian team to combat state blood shortages with a campus blood drive. She hoped to encourage other athletes to give and, when she realized Petillo was also planning a campus event, a much bigger effort seemed possible.

“I am not surprised that our community has jumped on board to support this much-needed effort,” Petillo said. “The University’s mission and vision call for caring and the promotion of good for society, and we seem to attract students and employees who share that mission. I see it all the time.”

SHU Athletic Director Judy Ann Riccio got involved, helping to designate blood drive captains for each team and enlist volunteers for the eight events. There were also student captains from student government, residential life and other areas. Marques was pleased with the first day’s turnout of about 70-80 potential donors. A total of 65 usable pints were collected with each having the capacity to save three lives.

“I’m a premedical student, so I am in donate mode and giving back mode most of my day,” Marques said. “I like helping people.”

Many volunteers arrived at the donation site decked out in team gear to keep spirits light. “There are a lot of big smiles,” she said. “There is a very good environment. It’s cheerful.”

The University also partnered with Hartford Healthcare, St. Vincent’s Medical Center on the effort. Dr. Eugene (Skip) Lewis, III, chairman of pathology and laboratory medicine at St. Vincent’s, also joined Petillo and Marques as the event’s first donors.

“Hartford HealthCare, St. Vincent’s Medical Center and Sacred Heart University formed a strong commitment to care for our community in this pandemic,” says John Rossi, Hartford HealthCare, vice president of system and Fairfield Region operation. “We held more than 30 joint vaccine and booster clinics at SHU, providing over 16,000 vaccinations to save lives and minimize the impact of COVID-19. These blood drives are another great example of our partnership as they will help replenish the blood supply that has been depleted because of the pandemic. We are so thankful for the leadership of Dr. John Petillo and for Sacred Heart’s support in meeting this challenging need for our state.”

While the SHU drives were limited to students, faculty and staff for safety concerns, DeCasanova and Marques encourage the public to check the CTBC website for blood drives near them.

For the members of the SHU community who still wish to donate, blood drives will take place on Wednesdays, February 23, March 2, March 30, April 6, April 13, April 20 and Thursday, April 28, from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the Edgerton Center atrium. You need to make an appointment to donate online. Use the SHU Code C008 to get to the SHU drives.

Photo caption: SHU student Natalie Marques, right, and President John Petillo donate blood during the first drive on February 16.