Donate blood to save a life.
Blood is vital when it comes to saving a person’s life. In case of any medical emergencies, it is crucial to have blood on hospital shelves. It is essential to fulfill the need for blood in hospitals, especially since the need will always be there.
“It is lifesaving. I think that if there was no blood to receive, well you cannot just manufacture blood. It is something that is vital for people that are going to have surgery, or had a GI bleed, and just so many different things,” Mrs. Libby Cruzan, nurse, said.
To help provide for this need, the Service Club partnered with Versiti to organize a blood drive on Sep 10. Service Club set a goal of encouraging as many people as possible to donate to collect 30 units of blood
“Our ultimate goal would be to fill every single spot we have. If not, then just reaching our goal number of units collected. 30 units is our goal, and I hope that in the end we collect that,” Mrs. Lisa Laug said.
To achieve this goal, Service Club devoted their time to promoting the blood drive.
“Service Club has been having meetings every week to prepare for it. We have been asking for volunteers who run the blood drive, and we have also been challenging every member of our club to get at least two people to sign up for the blood drive. We have been handing out flyers, hanging them up on the wall, and making sure people have been filling out their parent permission slip,” senior Valeria Moreno, club vice president, said.
Service Club’s efforts made a difference for many people in need of blood. There is a constant shortage of blood, so all donations are welcomed.
“I absolutely encourage people to donate. It is something that I would encourage everyone who fits the criteria to try. It does not work out for everybody. Some have puny veins, and some people do not weigh enough, and their blood pressure. There are different factors, but I think you might be surprised if you were to donate and see that it really does not take that long. They give you all kinds of yummy snacks, so sometimes people are afraid they are going to pass out, and some people do, but they take all the precautions to make sure that does not happen,” Mrs. Cruzan said.
The blood donation process can seem intimidating, but well-trained people help to make it easier.
“Nurses are super friendly. Do not be afraid. I am afraid of needles, I just look away, and they do a great job, I felt hardly anything,” Ms. Kate Keller, community member, said.
Students, faculty members, and community members were all encouraged to donate.
“I wanted to support the high school with this blood drive. Obviously, it is a positive thing because there is a shortage of blood, so I wanted to help out. I have donated before, but it has been quite a while, so I was glad I could help today,” Ms. Keller said.
All the blood donated will help someone who is in need in the Indianapolis area.
“It goes to a bunch of hospitals in Indianapolis, but we know that it is going to help a bunch of people, which is obviously the goal,” Moreno said.
The Service Club achieved and exceeded their goal by collecting 31 units of blood and had almost 40 people signed up to donate. Donating blood is selfless and lifesaving, so everyone should give it a try.
“There is always going to be a need for it, and so I think that is why it is really important to donate because you never know, a family member or someone you know could need it. It is a very selfless thing that you could do that costs nothing but is lifesaving for someone else,” Mrs. Cruzan said.
