Co-ed business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi will host a blood drive in memory of a student who passed away from COVID-19 last month.

Neil Patel, a 20-year-old sixth-semester Schreyer Honors College scholar studying finance, died on August 1 following a four-month battle with COVID-19.

The blood drive will take place between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on September 21 in Alumni Hall in the HUB. Alpha Kappa Psi is partnering with the NeilStrong Foundation to host the Red Cross blood drive.

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Patel was initiated into Alpha Kappa Psi in spring 2020 as a member of Zeta Theta and is considered one of the most influential and inspiring brothers of the fraternity, according to an Instagram post. The blood drive aims to keep the memory of Neil alive and to help others who are fighting their own battles.

“In his treatment, he required many transfusions, plasma, and platelets which were donated by the generosity of others,” Alpha Kappa Psi wrote on Instagram.

According to a GoFundMe drive created in April, Patel suffered a setback last spring and required ventilator support. He began exhibiting symptoms one day before he was scheduled to get vaccinated.

Anybody interested in participating in the blood drive is asked to email Alex Ketch at [email protected] to register.