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<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cWell, 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,\u201d says Betteridge. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as that lab was done, I just booked an appointment at the blood donation clinic and donated blood,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd it was fun. It was easy. Everybody there was super nice, and I made a lot of connections with staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis just doesn\u2019t necessarily mean it\u2019s only for students that plan to donate blood, but it is more of an advocacy program,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Betteridge is a Nursing student, she wants the club to include students from across Camosun.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the goal is not to just have nursing students,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019d also love to have some of, you know, the Business students, or even members of the trades community.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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,\u201d says Betteridge. \u201cAnd then it\u2019s a good opportunity because we\u2019ll be partnering with Canadian Blood Services, and they\u2019ll be able to give us volunteer hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great opportunity for students and staff to join because, one, you get volunteer hours, two, if you\u2019re looking to go into any kind of healthcare position, it looks great on a resume,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope that anybody that takes an interest in this does it not only for themselves,\u201d she says, \u201cbut with the knowledge that they not only potentially, but most likely, will save a life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28418,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[358,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-september-8-2026","category-campus"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t