College and PTK to Collaborate with American Red Cross

Kalamazoo Valley Community College and its chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society for two-year colleges, will be collaborating with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive at the Texas Township Campus on Jan. 19. The event will be held in the Student Commons with incremental appointments available throughout the day.

All community members are welcome to schedule a time to donate blood. Interested donors are asked to register by going to redcrossblood.org and entering the sponsor code "KVCC" in the appointment search box. Appointments are required for blood donations during this event.

Kalamazoo Valley's PTK chapter President, Kayleigh Overhuel, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to aid the college in organizing the drive. Overhuel, as well as Kalamazoo Valley's Associate Vice President of Student Development Services Nkenge Bergan, are organizing the event with the American Red Cross.

"As a nursing student, this is a project I'm greatly looking forward to," said Overhuel. "Across the board, COVID-19 has impacted many supply and demand chains, including the blood supply of our country. As we work to recover from COVID's effects, we are seeing less engagement from volunteers than was previously seen."

An effort to encourage donor engagement during National Blood Donor Month, the American Red Cross is partnering with the NFL to offer blood donors in the month of January an opportunity to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LVIl in Arizona. All community members who make a blood donation at the Jan. 19 event will be automatically entered for a chance to win. Click here to learn more.

To learn more about Kalamazoo Valley's PTK chapter or the blood drive, email .