The 7th Annual Memorial Blood Drive Begins!

December 31, 2008

Dear friends,

Happy New Year! For the seventh consecutive year, the Communication Arts and Sciences Graduate Forum is sponsoring a blood drive to remember our dear friend and colleague, Amanda L. Kundrat. We are complementing this effort by sponsoring a second annual "long distance" blood drive that allows those of us outside of the State College area to show our support for this wonderful event.

The most amazing aspect of the long distance memorial blood drive is that many of those who participated 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 a Bachelor's 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.

If you are living in State College area,
we would like to encourage you to participate in the seventh annual blood drive. It will be held on Friday, January 23rd, 2009 from 10am to 4pm in 7 Sparks Building (Lower Level) at The Penn State University. Please make your appointment at www.psuredcross.org. Click on the January 23, Sparks Building drive.

If you live outside of the State College area, we are asking you to donate blood or volunteer at a blood drive 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. If you prefer, you can drop us a note and photo at janicekrieger AT gmail.com or pitts.maggie AT gmail.com Our goal is to be able to show Amanda's family how her influence has spread beyond State College.

We should also note that individuals who wish to make a financial contribution to this memorial effort may do so. The Amanda L. Kundrat Memorial Fund was established in 2003 and serves to support excellence in health communication research. Donations can be sent to: Amanda Kundrat Memorial Fund c/o Graduate Forum, 234 Sparks Building, University Park, PA 16802. The check should be made out to "Graduate Forum" with "ALK memorial fund" in the memo section.

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.

Yours in peace,

Janice Krieger
Maggie Pitts