Students gave from their heart, literally, in a Red Cross Blood Drive Friday.
The blood drive was an all day event held in the auxiliary gym with exactly 100 students donating blood which was more than expected.
“They said there is 25 percent that normally can’t donate,” Student Council president Taylor DeVault said. “And so they were hoping for 82 specifically.
DeVault credits the high turnout to Student Council’s efforts in promoting the event which included posters around school and a social media campaign.
“We signed people up,” DeVault said.  “We publicized it like crazy and then we helped keep things organized in [the auxiliary gym].”
Donated blood is in high demand. According to redcrossblood.org, a single car accident victim can require up to 100 pints of blood and every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood.
Students attempting to give blood on Friday had to jump through a series of hurdles to be eligible donors. Students had to meet height and weight requirements, have their pulse and temperature taken and then pricked on the finger to test the iron level in their blood. After passing the physical evaluation students answered a series of questions to see if they could be eligible donors.
From there, students layed down on cots and were attended to by Red Cross nurses who disinfected student’s arms, marked possibile veins and then inserted the needle.
“My [nurses] were really nice, they were funny, we had a good ole ball,” senior Betsy Poehlman said. “I don’t like needles in arms or seeing it and then blood. It didn’t feel like anything except for the satisfaction I got in my heart.”
DeVault and senior Katie Cook echoed this sentiment.
“I was scared,” Cook said. “But it was cool because you’re donating for a good cause.
By Graham Ratermann
Feature Photo by Caylea Erickson