Most would believe that saving lives is not something that happens during a typical school day; however, Service Club recently hosted its annual blood drive open to students and staff. 

Donating one unit of blood saves three lives, and, Service Club was able to collect 30 units, saving 90 Indiana residents in need of blood, just falling short of last year’s 31 units.

“We got to help pass out flyers and work with advertising. I passed out flyers to different lunch tables and posted information on the GHS Service Club’s Instagram page. We did a nice job of getting people to sign up. At the end of the sign up, there were only four sign-up spots left. It was a struggle getting people to sign up because most people were too afraid of needles to sign up or were simply not interested,” junior Briar Simpson, club president, said. 

The process of donating blood can seem scary, but the attentive nurses helped several students get through it.

“My blood drawing experience was very positive, but the process of getting checked in and getting set up took a very long time due to a lack of nurses working. Other than that, it was great, everyone was really kind. Everyone was very good at making sure that you felt okay and were provided with enough food to recover,” junior Evan Hess, club vice president, said. 

This year’s blood drive results were similar to previous years, but with the connections made between organizations and GHS, the future is bright for Service Club. 

“Service Clubs’ role is spreading the word to the community and building relationships with students and staff. This year was similar to last year, but now we have a closer relationship with the organization that establishes a process to follow so the school knows what to expect,” Mrs. Lisa Laug, club sponsor, said.