Donating plasma is popular among ISU students, who get the chance to make a little extra cash while doing a good deed.

ISU students make up about half of the donating population at Community Bio-Resources, Inc., 1618 Golden Aspen Drive. While the money may be good incentive for people to donate, there’s a larger issue at stake, said Jen Tomlinson, assistant manager of the center.

“A lot of people come in here just for the money, and they don’t think about all the lives they’re saving,” she said.

Plasma is the clear, liquid part of the blood that is composed of salts, enzymes, antibodies and other proteins that help prevent infections and make blood clot. It is replenished in about one or two days, so people are able to donate twice a week if they wish, Tomlinson said.

Once the plasma is collected, it is sent to Alabama for testing and then on to either Vienna, Austria, or Rochester, Minn., where it is combined with other plasma donations, treated to remove or kill any harmful viruses and made into medicines.

Some of the medicines that contain plasma include those used for treating newborn infants and their mothers, burn, shock or trauma victims, heart surgery patients, children with HIV or viral pneumonia and adults with genetic lung disease.

Katie Kellenberger, junior in history, said she first heard about the donation center from a friend. Now she donates whenever she’s short on cash.

“There’s a demand of plasma, and it’s good money for college,” Kellenberger said. “They usually stick me twice, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.”

Donors receive $25 for each visit with an additional $5 for each donor referral and a $10 second-donation bonus.

ISU custodian Tim Leister also enjoys spending the extra money he earns from donating plasma, which he does about twice a week.

“It’s the best paying part-time job,” said Leister, who started donating last June. “Giving plasma is no big deal, and it’s needed. I know a lot of college kids come here.”

Tomlinson said some people have misconceptions about plasma donation centers, such as they’re in unsafe neighborhoods or that donors are often drug addicts.

This simply isn’t true, Tomlinson said, adding that donations made at CBRI are professional and safe.

“The company [Baxter Health Corp.] we work for has centers located in college towns and upscale communities, and we are FDA-regulated,” she said.

CBRI tests the blood for any serious illnesses and proper liver functioning each time a donor gives plasma and periodically for syphilis and drug abuse, Tomlinson said.