Mt.A Gives Blood hosts a blood donation fall clinic
Mt.A Gives Blood will be hosting a blood donation fall clinic on Nov. 17, 2025. To learn more about the event and the impact blood donation can have on millions of lives, The Argosy spoke with the Co-Presidents of Mt. A Gives Blood, Sally Bourne and Liam Clark-Black.
Mt.A Gives Blood is a society that aims to educate the campus about blood donation and stem cell organization. Additionally, they organize two blood donation clinics during the academic year. The club also sets up several booths throughout the year where people can sign up to be on the stem cell registry. For those who are unfamiliar, the stem cell registry is a Canada-wide registry that allows individuals to register as potential stem cell donors. While there is a small chance that donors will find a match, stem cell donations can be life-saving treatments.
When asked why they decided to get involved with Mt. A Gives Blood, both Bourne and Clark-Black said, “it was an easy way to do something good.” According to Canadian Blood Services, one donation can save up to three lives. Bourne also shared personal experiences of when someone she knew needed a blood transfusion but was unable to receive it due to shortages. This experience made her realize how “incredibly important it was to raise awareness about Canadian Blood Services”. The pair emphasized donating blood was an “easy way to do something good.”
Clark-Black talked about how he got involved in Mt.A Gives Blood in his first year, “SunMin [Mt.A Gives Blood advisor] was our trainer on the soccer team, and she asked us if anyone would like to sign up for the blood drive they were having.” From there, Clark-Black has been involved with Mt.A Gives Blood, donating blood regularly alongside the soccer team and joining the Executive team.
Mt.A Gives Blood has detailed instructions about what to expect when donating blood on their Instagram, @mtagivesblood. Bourne said, “You can download the GiveBlood app and join up for the Mt.A Gives Blood team.” If you are interested in donating blood but cannot make it on Nov. 17, or if there are no available times to sign up, another blood donation clinic will be held during the Winter semester.
Additionally, Bourne and Clark-Black discussed the Team Up Challenge and how different teams and societies can get involved with the initiative. The Team Up Challenge is an initiative created by Mt.A Gives Blood, where different teams and societies can sign up to earn points. Through blood donations, stem cell registrations, awareness activities, and community engagement, teams can earn points. When the challenge is finished on Nov. 30, there will be draws for prizes for all participants and the top-scoring team. “You can participate by encouraging people within your society, [joining] the stem cell registry, donate blood … those are both ways you can participate,” said Bourne.
Another way for students to donate blood is through the Life Buses, “where you can go with a bunch of your friends or people to go up and travel together to Moncton to donate together,” said Clark-Black. If Mt.A campus organizations or societies are interested in Life Buses, they may reach out to Mt.A Gives Blood for more details.
Both Bourne and Clark-Black touched on different ways people can get involved, even if they are not eligible to donate blood. “If you’re not eligible, … you can still contribute, you can still spread the word, help encourage other people. There’s always ways to do it, even if you yourself aren’t eligible,” said Clark-Black.
If readers of The Argosy would like to learn more about the upcoming blood drive on Nov. 17 or more about Mt.A Gives Blood, they can visit @mtagivesblood on Instagram.