Save a life and donate blood

    March 14, 2024

    On Tuesday, January 30, IT and Finance teams joined forces to support the second annual Tim Bertaccini Blood Drive at 25 Science Park. This event, named after a former staff member and a committed blood donor, was, his retirement wish to the university. Business Office organizers were pleased that the drive surpassed expectations, collecting 49 units for donation to the Red Cross, and inspired to add quarterly blood drives, starting in April.

    A total of 56 donors participated in the January drive, including eight first-time donors. Staff shared their motivations for giving and thoughts on the impact of their donations:

    • Nancy Braen, IT Manager, Linux Systems Engineering: Everyone needs to have a way to contribute to their community and make a positive impact. Something they do without expecting anything in return. I’ve been donating blood for years and have donated more than eight gallons. The blood drives at 25 Science Park make it easy to do.
    • Harshal Dixit, IT Software Engineer 4: Giving blood gives you the joy of community service and helps people around you.
    • Kathleen Galo, IT Project Manager 2, Enterprise Reporting & Analytics: Growing up, my dad always donated blood, which made a big impression on me. I’ve had relatives who have needed blood transfusions, so that made it especially important to me to give back because I can! I have a relatively rare blood type (O-CMV-), and I know that it can be used to help babies and immunocompromised people, so that also motivates me to donate regularly. It is fantastic to have blood drives at 25 Science Park because it’s both convenient and builds community. I also encourage donors to download the Red Cross’s Blood Donor app—you can join Team Yale and track your donation. My blood unit from this event went to help someone at Danbury Hospital.

    A huge thanks to all the staff who signed up and participated in the blood drive!

    In addition to the next annual event, upcoming quarterly blood drives will occur on:

    • Tuesday, April 2, 2024 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    • Tuesday, July 23, 2024 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    • Tuesday, October 22, 2024 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    • Tuesday, January 28, 2025 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Annual 3rd Tim Bertaccini blood drive

    Donors can visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter 25sci to schedule an appointment in advance.