December 23, 2024

This Tuesday, November 12th, High School West’s Key Club hosted a blood drive. Students were able to support the blood drive by donating their own blood or by volunteering to help the donation process.

You might’ve seen Junior Rose Bender wearing a red t-shirt and carrying a stuffed blood drop pillow around school to support the blood drive. Rose said, “This year, my goal was to be more involved in the blood drive than ever before. When I was a baby, a blood transfusion saved by life, so this is a cause that means a lot to me. The day before the blood drive, I gave a speech in nine junior and senior classes about blood donation. Getting up in front of strangers was extremely nerve-wracking, but I’m so glad I did it because I was able to motivate a lot of people to donate. Then, I put on the blood drop costume and recruited students in the cafeteria. This was something I did last year, but this time it felt even more fulfilling because of all the effort I had put in beforehand. Volunteering for the blood drive was an amazing experience because, even though I can’t physically donate blood, I was able to help the cause in a meaningful way.” Thanks Rose!

If you missed the chance to donate this week, there is another blood drive in the spring at High School West, so no worries!  Students who are 16-18 years old interested in donating must meet certain height/weight restrictions and receive parental consent if the student is under 16 years old. A list of temporary restrictions can be found online on the New York Blood Center site, ranging from recent cold or flu symptoms to blood transfusion.

Special thanks to everybody who donated and volunteered in the blood drive!