The Dugong Atenista blood drive on 29 September this year attracted 255 blood donors. This figure is exactly the same as February 2018 turnout.
Most notable in the latest results was the number of first time donors, 138, accounting for 54.12% of the total participants. This appears to be the trend this year as the February 2018 activity. In more cases in the past 11 years, the regular donors outnumbered the first timers.
The Office of Student Affairs and partner hospital Bicol Medical Center consider this to be a positive development since it means that the program has recruited a significant number of new donors who are potential repeaters.
Students were still the biggest donor-sector (165 donors), making up for 64.71% of the total outcome. This number includes six from the Senior High School Department, a new expansion of the Dugong Atenista program
Of the 157 student donors, 57 said they represented some 27 organizations. The top donor-organizations were Ateneo College Red Cross Youth (10) and Association of Bicol Business Students (9).
The participation of staff donors (29) was the second highest in the entire run of the program. Other donors comprise the alumni (25), Philippine Army (5), faculty (6), administrators (2), and others (25).
On October 4, 47 student donors met again in a formative processing session at the Instructional Media Center. Here, the donors recounted what motivated and convinced them to take part in the formation/outreach activity, and how they felt during and after giving blood. Many of them, especially the first timers, shared that they had fear of needle, but they were able to overcome it because of their desire to help save lives. Some of the regulars said that partaking in Dugong Atenista has already become their pledge, and an expression of their being “men and women for others.”
The bloodletting activity was made possible through the help of 49 Nursing student volunteers (Donor Care), 18 College and Red Cross Youth members, both from the college and senior high school departments, and 13 BMC staff.
