A new student club at Camosun College is hoping to encourage students to donate blood while educating the campus community about the importance of blood donation.
Lifeline: A Blood Donation Club was founded by second-year Nursing student Isla Betteridge, who says the idea came to her after learning her own blood type during an anatomy and physiology lab. She says the experience made her realize how accessible blood donation could be for students and inspired her to create a club focused on advocacy and education.
“Well, as a student nurse, I learned about my own blood type in a blood lab, strangely enough, during my anatomy and physiology class that we have to take in the Nursing program,” says Betteridge. “And I thought it was really interesting just to know my blood type and learn a little bit about, you know, iron levels and stuff like that.”
Betteridge donated blood for the first time that same day after realizing she was eligible. She says the experience was easy and enjoyable, and it encouraged her to find a way to get other students involved.
“As soon as that lab was done, I just booked an appointment at the blood donation clinic and donated blood,” she says. “And it was fun. It was easy. Everybody there was super nice, and I made a lot of connections with staff.”
The club focuses on advocacy and education, with plans to organize blood drives, educational booths, and outreach events. Betteridge also hopes members can visit local high schools to teach students about blood donation.
“This just doesn’t necessarily mean it’s only for students that plan to donate blood, but it is more of an advocacy program,” she says. “And so what we plan to do throughout the year is not only just encourage students to donate blood and host blood drives where people go to Canadian Blood Services, but we also want to do some education.”
Although Betteridge is a Nursing student, she wants the club to include students from across Camosun.
“And the goal is not to just have nursing students,” she says. “I’d also love to have some of, you know, the Business students, or even members of the trades community.”
The club will be based primarily at the Interurban campus, with potential outreach at Lansdowne. Members are expected to meet once or twice a month and plan initiatives for the year.
“We would essentially just, in our first couple of meetings, plan out some of the initiatives we want to do throughout the year, what seems feasible for everybody,” says Betteridge. “And then it’s a good opportunity because we’ll be partnering with Canadian Blood Services, and they’ll be able to give us volunteer hours.”
Other activities the group is considering include group blood donations and potentially bringing a mobile blood-donation clinic to campus. Betteridge says the club can also provide useful workplace experience for students.
“It’s a great opportunity for students and staff to join because, one, you get volunteer hours, two, if you’re looking to go into any kind of healthcare position, it looks great on a resume,” she says.
Students interested in joining can email lifeline@camosunstudent.org; leadership positions include treasurer and outreach officer, or students can join as general members. Ultimately, Betteridge hopes the club will encourage students to learn more about blood donation and its impact on the community.
“I hope that anybody that takes an interest in this does it not only for themselves,” she says, “but with the knowledge that they not only potentially, but most likely, will save a life.”