February 20, 2013 - UTI Student Affairs Advisor Recognized for Outstanding Community Service

Ted Little, student affairs advisor, accepts the Best School Drive Coordinator Award from Margaret Vaughn of the Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers.

For the past decade, Ted Little, student affairs advisor at Universal Technical Institute in Glendale Heights, Ill., has spent time each year planning, organizing and recruiting students to participate in a campus activity that gives back to the community and helps save lives.

Little is the lead organizer of the school’s annual blood drive and was recently recognized for his volunteerism and leadership. During the past 10 years, he has helped bring in over 4,000 donations for Heartland Blood Centers, which serves 47 hospitals in 12 counties throughout the state.

In Dec., Little was presented with the prestigious Best School Drive Coordinator Award by the Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers (ICCBC) in recognition of his dedication and outstanding results.

Through its annual blood drive, UTI-Glendale Heights students have made a tremendous contribution to the region, considering one donation can help save up to three lives, according to the American Red Cross. Little attributes the success of the school’s annual drive to involving the entire campus and visiting every classroom.

“The drive is always a good day and the students are always happy throughout the event,” says Little, who recognizes that opportunities to give back to the community are one way that UTI instills professionalism in its students. “For more than 12 hours, our students line up to donate their blood and offer support to each other.”

In the statement announcing the prestigious honor, the ICCB noted that the award is presented to someone, “who selflessly offers their time, talents and energy to recruiting donors on behalf of patients in need.”

To learn more about UTI, please visit: www.uti.edu.