Many colleges across America hold blood drives. Goshen College is no different, and on Tuesday, the first blood drive of the 2026-27 school year took place in the Mark Community Center.

According to Patty Hartshorn, director for health and wellness at GC, this year was a little different from previous years. “Last year was the first year that we decided to coordinate a full calendar schedule,” she said. “We also have, starting this last year, a Red Cross Ambassador.”

This new position will help on the logistical end of the blood drive, communicating directly with the Red Cross. The Red Cross Ambassador is Jacob Shenk, a sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology major. “I wish I could say that I had some personal story where blood donors saved my life or I was hit by a car when I was three,” he said. “I wish I had some cool story, but I don’t. I’m really passionate about doing tangible things to help other people out.” 

Shenk’s will to help out isn’t the only reason he was chosen for this position. 

“I’ve been volunteering with blood drives since junior year of high school,” he said.

Hartshorn says that Shenk’s service has been very important. “A lot of his work is about helping individuals connect to the community service component of the American Red Cross, not just the blood drives,” she said. “[Shenk] is very passionate. He really lives for this type of work.”

However, two people and enough passion to fill a room isn’t enough to make a blood drive happen. 

“The Red Cross will send out a staff of probably six people or so. All of those are phlebotomists,” Shenk said. “They have to send out a truck with all the equipment they could possibly need.”

Despite only needing an hour or two, preparation for the blood drive begins long before the truck arrives. “We need to ensure that there’s plenty of time to promote, advertise and lock in those things,” Hartshorn said. “We try to schedule a meeting before the end of the previous year to kind of lock in those dates.”

The college takes care of the logistical aspect, leaving the Red Cross to take care of the drive itself. “They have skilled clinicians who come in and run the drive, and then we have individuals like Jacob who help us promote it, draw attention to it, encourage people to sign up,” said Hartshorn.

“They have all the technical know-how to set that all up. I’ll clear the room and make sure everything is ready for them,” Shenk said. 

Overall, Goshen College had 24 donors provide roughly 24 pints of blood to the American Red Cross through this blood drive. “The biggest goal is, of course, to provide as much life-saving blood to those who need it through the American Red Cross,” Hartshorn said. “Our primary goal is service to our community and being able to provide as much support as possible.”

“I would like to see more consistency and higher numbers overall at blood drives,” Shenk said. “It’s a really big hurdle getting people to give.”

Hartshorn agrees. “One of the biggest challenges that a drive can have is having a difficult time getting individuals to sign up,” she said. “But it’s also the thing that we’re committed to doing, to help them understand that they are saving a life by participating. So that’s the greatest challenge, but also the greatest reward.”

The next blood drive is set to be held in November.