LifeShare Blood Center unites with LA Tech for Replenishment Blood Drive

RUSTON, La. (KNOE) – Louisiana Tech University and LifeShare Blood Center made a joint effort to host a blood drive on Thursday.

LifeShare Blood Center hosted its ‘Replenishment for Louisiana Tech University Blood Drive’ throughout the day on Nov. 16, 2023, inside the student center at what the school calls The Tonk. Before noon, more than 40 people signed up to donate blood. The line of people continued to grow throughout the blood drive.

The blood center organized this event after the tragic stabbing incident that happened this week – leaving three injured and one dead.

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Anna Johnson, a freshman at LA Tech, said she donated because of how the tragedy on campus affected her.

“It really did affect me in a lot of people that I love and I lot of people that I know. And donating blood is just another way that I can help support the community and anyone that needs blood,” said Johnson.

LifeShare Blood Center officials said it’s been a rough year for blood collections. They count on the community to keep blood on the shelves inside hospitals locally.

“Blood is one of those things that has to come organically. It’s not manufactured,” said Jeremy Martin, who’s the district director for northern region of LifeShare Blood Center. “But to get that inventory, we have to have it come in from our community. And we have traumatic events or large scale events, it takes a lot of blood products out of our inventory. So, we have to replenish that. We have to bring it back. The replenishment drives help us support victims or those that are injured or otherwise sick.”

LifeShare Blood Center is scheduled to have a few more blood drives on behalf of the stabbing victims throughout the ArkLaMiss.

“What we’re going to do is the day after Thanksgiving, we’re going to be at the Ruston Walmart and, the West Monroe Walmart and the Monticello Walmart for our Arkansas viewers so they can still donate on behalf of our victims for this event,” said Martin.

As of 3 p.m., more than 100 people signed in and donated, according to blood center officials. Find more details about the upcoming mobile blood drives being held the day after Thanksgiving in northeast Louisiana:

Walmart – West Monroe

Walmart – Ruston

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