On Thursday, January 25, the Student Activities Department held a blood drive and Father Fulton, CSB was the first to donate. As an O negative blood type, Father Fulton’s donation is in high demand. Anyone can receive O negative blood regardless of their blood type, making it one of the most impactful donations possible.  

Father Fulton, CSB has been donating blood for decades. It holds a special place in his heart as his father served in the Canadian Air Force and the need for blood to save military members has always been high. His father was also a paramedic, and Father Fulton saw firsthand how blood donations help save lives.  

“Donating blood has been cultivated in my family. My father first got me into the habit. Back in the day, the Red Cross needed blood to help the military and I felt a moral obligation to donate. It’s in you to give. I learned from an early age its value,” stated Father Fulton, CSB.   

According to the American Red Cross, type O negative is the most used type of blood for transfusions when the blood type is unknown, such as in trauma and emergency surgeries. For this reason, O negative is often referred to as the universal blood type. Only approximately 7% of people are O negative. Due to its versatility, blood center donations are always in need of this type of blood. 

The American Red Cross stated that meeting the demand for O negative blood is always a priority. It’s the blood of choice during an emergency. Just one car accident may call for up to 100 units of O negative blood. O negative is always the first blood supply to run out.  

“I felt like we needed to get the ball rolling again on this event to inspire the new generation of students to donate. Numbers have been low since the pandemic. Continuing the blood drive at Catholic Central is a good place to start,” stated Mike Carrier ‘06, Director of Student Activities.  

This year’s drive was held in the gym and was open to students and their families ages 17 and up. Students under 16 could donate with a parental consent form.  

Donations were collected by the Versiti Blood Center of Michigan. All donations made to Versiti stay in Michigan. Most are used at local hospitals. The organization has provided blood products and donation services to Michigan since 1955. It collects more than 135,000 units of blood each year and has been nationally recognized for its stem cell (marrow) program.