On Dec. 9, the State High Key Club held its annual Red Cross Blood Drive in the area next to the PAC. Students who had registered and were over 16 had the chance to donate blood in exchange for a $15 e-gift card, community service hours, and a chance to save lives.
A blood drive is an event, generally organized or associated with the Red Cross or hospitals, that gives eligible people a chance to donate blood to hospitals that will use it for medical procedures like blood transfusions.
Key Club has been organizing the blood drive since the beginning of the school year, and plans to have a second blood drive in the spring. Their goal for this first blood drive was 40 units of blood, and they were able to get 37 donations out of 56 people who showed up.
Donors can be turned away for a number of reasons that all ultimately lead to protecting their health and the health of the receiver. These factors include their height-to-weight ratio, getting a tattoo, or travelling to specific countries.
Many of the blood donors were first-time donors. Art teacher and Key Club advisor Ashley Corvin shared how by donating in high school, people may be more likely to donate again throughout their lives.
“That’s what the Red Cross is looking for, because when they get students to start donating in high school, that’s another thing that just carries on throughout their life. So like, once you do it the first time, you realize it’s not that scary. You’ll keep doing it like, for the rest of your life, which is really good,” Corvin said.
She also expressed satisfaction in reaching 37 blood units, and she plans on adding the 3 units that weren’t collected this time to the spring blood drive goal of 85 units.
“[The] Red Cross is almost always looking for more donors anytime that there is some sort of natural disaster, or, like with the pandemic, or anytime when there’s a lot of people getting sick. They’re in a constant need for more blood. And then there’s just, like the every day, if people need a blood transfusion for one reason or another, they’re just always looking to keep their supply up and make sure they have enough in case of emergencies,” Corvin said.
The Key Club Blood Drive is one of the main events that requires participation from outside the club. Junior and German exchange student Julia Johaenning took part in the event by donating for the first time. She was happy about the opportunity, since it’s not something that her high school in Germany offers.
“I think that if I’m in the situation that I need blood, I would want people to donate blood, and I want to also give something back to people who donated blood, “ Johaenning said. “I think if I am in the situation that I depend on someone else’s blood in the hospital or after an emergency, I would be really thankful if someone else donated blood.”
Another first-time donor was senior and Key Club president Mirabella Bills.
“One donation can save up to three lives, and it takes like, maybe an hour tops–with checking in and you have to sit after to make sure you’re not going to be sick or anything. It’s not that much of your time. It doesn’t take anything from you, like, and it’s just, it’s life-saving“ Bills said.
While some of the eligible donors at State High were excited to give blood, others weren’t.
“It’s hard because a lot of people are afraid. People are afraid of needles. Athletes are afraid that it’ll affect their performance. People are just, like, freaked out by the thought of taking blood from you. But honestly, like, I would just reassure people. If you don’t look you barely know what’s happening,” Bills said.
Johaenning also reassured possible donors. “I used to be afraid of needles, and honestly, I just didn’t look at what they did. It hurt a little bit, but it wasn’t too bad. And I would say, it’s worth it, you can try it out, and if you’re not comfortable, you can stop. They stop at any moment, and they’re not mad at you, they’re just really supportive and nice,” Johaenning said.
Key Club’s Blood Drive will return to State High in the spring, likely on April 2. In the meantime, they are working on new service projects that aim to uplift not just State High, but the whole community.
