On Friday, Oct. 28, Student Council will team with the American Red Cross for a blood drive in the Auxiliary Gym.
“Red Cross’s goal for [Rock Bridge] was 80 units of blood, or 80 people,” Student Council President and senior Justin Hajicek said. “But we thought we could do a little better than that, so our goal is 120 units.”
Red Cross always has a demand for blood. Within four days, they use more than 100 units of blood trying to save someone’s life.
“Every two seconds, someone needs a pint of blood,” Student Council member and junior Sayde Hindelang said. “The blood they collect is used to save people, and it is often given to cancer patients because the chemo they experience is so hard on their body. It is most likely that, within 72 hours, the blood bank will use most of the blood we donate.”
The drive is an opportunity to donate blood to people who need it. The blood is namely used for patients suffering for cancer or other deadly illnesses.
“I think that helping others is extremely important,” senior Julia Bower said. “Donating blood is necessary in ensuring those in need are getting what is vital to their survival.”
Spreading the word is one of the most important things to do for blood drives. The more people hear about it, the more they think about it, meaning that they’re more likely to sign up to donate blood.
“When you’re organizing an event like this, it really is all about publicity,” Hindelang said. “We want to get the word out and inform people about how much good donating blood can do. We didn’t do this on our own. [The] Red Cross was very involved and educated us on what the blood is used for and who it goes to, and all of the good it does. All Student Council had to do was to get the word out and schedule people to give blood.”
According to the American Red Cross, in 2013, they were able to provide assistance to millions of people in 24 countries, helped vaccinate 98 million children against measles, and helped reconnect over 900 families separated by war and disasters. The blood that gets donated will be used to save someone’s life. The more people who donate means the more lives that can be saved.
“There’s a pretty good chance that you or someone you know is going to have to use a donated unit of blood at some point during your life,” Hajicek said. “It’s a good opportunity for us to use what we have now to help somebody else, because somebody else may be doing that for you later.”