The eighth annual campus blood drive in honor of Army second lieutenant Matt Homa '02, who was wounded in Iraq in 2003, will be held at the Crimson Event Center on February 29 from noon to 6:30 p.m.
The drive is organized by the Office of Service Learning and sponsored by Rho Tau Chi, IUP's ROTC service fraternity; the IUP Martial Arts Club; and the IUP Criminology Association.
Surgery and treatment following his injury required Homa to receive more than 30 units of blood in one day. A member of Rho Tau Chi while at IUP, Homa asked the fraternity in 2004 to stage a blood drive at IUP in recognition of the need for blood donations.
The IUP Office of Service Learning coordinates campus blood drives throughout the year for the Central Blood Bank and American Red Cross. Drives are traditionally sponsored by student groups from all disciplines and organizations.
During the 2010-2011 academic year, 967 units of blood were collected in drives organized by the office. This blood collection total is estimated to save 2,901 lives. During the fall 2011 semester, 502 pints of blood were collected, projected to save 1,506 lives. Sponsors included Circle K, Poiz, Phi Eta Sigma, Acacia, Gamma Sigma Sigma, Delta Phi Epsilon, Sigma Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Orthodox Christian Fellowship, Pre-Service Teachers of Mathematics and Claypool's Clinical Crew.
In addition to the February 29 event to honor Homa, six blood drives are planned for the spring 2012 semester.