5th Annual Memorial Blood Drive

Dear Friends:

On January 25, 2008, the Penn State Graduate Forum will host the 5th annual blood drive held in loving memory of our friend and colleague, Amanda L. Kundrat. For those of you who are in State College, we would like to encourage you to participate in this true Penn State tradition! For those of you who have left Happy Valley in the past five years, this blog is especially for you.

The purpose of this site is to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the blood drive by encouraging everyone who knew and loved Amanda (or know someone who did) to participate in this blood drive. Specifically, we are asking you to donate blood WHEREVER you are between now and January 25th in memory of Amanda. We would be honored if you would post a note/photo on this blog letting us know that you donated/volunteered in her memory, the location of your donation (city, state), and how you heard about our "long distance" blood drive. Our goal is to be able to show Amanda's family how her influence has spread beyond State College.

If you can’t donate blood, there are other ways to help! If you will be in the State College area, please contact Hillary Jones (hillaryannjones@gmail.com) to see how you can volunteer the day of the drive. If you will not be in State College, feel encouraged to volunteer in Amanda's memory at a drive in your local area (http://www.redcross.org/). Also, financial donations are welcome for helping in the canteen area. If you would like to help in this way, checks can be sent to: Graduate Forum (attention Mary Haman), 234 Sparks Building, University Park, PA 16802.

The most amazing aspect of this memorial blood drive is that many of those who participate never knew Amanda. If you didn't have the privilege of knowing Amanda personally, please allow us the opportunity to share a little more about her life and why this blood drive is so important. Amanda Kundrat, our best friend, died on January 21st, 2003 as a result of a series of medical errors. Amanda completed an undergrad and Master’s degree in communication at Penn State, and was a Ph.D. student planning a dissertation on the topic of organ donation. She changed the lives of those who knew her and her research and gentle spirit far exceeded her own personal circle. In an effort to continue helping people in need, Graduate Forum has sponsored an annual Memorial Blood Drive with the American Red Cross each year since 2003.

In closing, if you knew Amanda, please share your memories and this website with others. And to those of you who didn’t know her, thank you for your help. If you are able to participate in any way (i.e., donating blood or volunteering), we would love to hear from you.

All the best,

Janice Krieger
Maggie Pitts