Red Cross Blood Donor and Volunteer Featured on mtvU's 'CAU...( WASHINGTON Dec. 12 -- Red Cross ...),Health

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Red Cross volunteer Krysta Leigh Meinzer is featured in "Cause Effect," a new multi-platform series from mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, profiling standout student activists on college campuses nationwide. Krysta details her passion for blood donations in an episode of the show, which is broadcast on mtvU and available on demand at mtvU.com and Think.MTV.com.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071212/DC09732 )

Meinzer is a 21-year-old college senior from North Carolina, majoring in communications at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C. Krysta learned first hand about blood donation when she was a child. Her mother and father donated their own blood while her grandfather was undergoing chemotherapy as treatment for leukemia, and Krysta saw how beneficial it was in helping him have a greater chance at a longer, healthier life than he would have experienced otherwise. She currently holds the title of Miss Hendersonville, N.C. 2007, and has set the American Red Cross and blood donation as her platform.

"I am honored to be a part of the American Red Cross because it's an organization filled with friendly, dedicated people who are committed to making a difference in the world," said Meinzer. "When I became Miss Hendersonville, one of my goals was to recruit more blood donors, but I never imagined I would have the opportunity to reach a national audience through mtvU."

mtvU teamed up with Microsoft Corporation through the Windows Live Messenger i'm Initiative for "Cause Effect." Each episode spotlights two remarkable students, examining how they're using digital tools to effect positive, real world change, and inspiring others to take action and make a difference on pressing social issues.

When she was 17, Krysta began donating blood herself, and started volunteering with the loc
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