The Red Cross club hosted a blood drive on Wednesday, March 27 in the auxiliary gym. Students over 16 and at least 120 pounds could sign up by scanning the QR code on flyers posted around the school.

“We just want to host a blood drive [and] help a lot of people because each donor saves three lives,” Red Cross club volunteer coordinator Anh Vu said. “We’ve been saving about 1,300 lives so far just this year, not counting this blood drive.”

The blood drive, in partnership with the Gulf Coast Blood Drive Center, saw close to 100 donations through sign-ups and walk-ins combined throughout the school day.

“It’s really fun, and the staff, the people that do it, they’re really sweet, they’re really nice,” first-time donor Ibukunoluwakiitan Adedeji said. “It’s a very fun experience and just something to do.”

According to the Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood or platelets every 2 seconds; these can’t be manufactured, so transfusions can only come from volunteer donors. After giving blood, Adedeji said she felt “fantastic and useful”.

“It’s just a good thing to do,” second-time donor Harekas Bindra said. “It doesn’t affect you at all. It takes 30 minutes out of your day, even less. It’s a really good return.”

An estimated 6.8 million people in the U.S. donate blood each year – the transfusions have a wide range of uses, from combating sickle cell disease to aiding patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

“It’s good to check in on yourself and see your blood levels also because that’s a regular check-up and stuff,” first-time donor Hershey Prajapati said. “But also, it’s good for other people, so it’s a double benefit. And in the medical field, I’m a very much science person, and it sounds basic, but it’s because I want to be able to make an impact in something that matters.”

In addition to hosting the annual blood drive, the Red Cross club also has a student advisory committee and holds a number of external volunteering activities. 

“[The most rewarding part is] probably being able to lead the student advisory committee and just host the blood drive because I talk to a lot of adult sponsors, just talk to a lot of different people, connect, send emails, be part of something bigger than I am,” Vu said. “It’s just really fulfilling and makes me really happy that I get to save a lot of lives.”

Access all photos from the blood drive here.