Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood, according to the American Red Cross. Yet, only about three percent of eligible donors actually give. HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) hopes to change that through its first fall blood drive of the year, held Thursday outside the auditorium in partnership with Carter BloodCare.
“Blood drives are always a great idea because they help supply life-saving blood products to people that are in hospitals or other emergency or natural disaster situations where they need blood,” school nurse Lindsey McDavid said. “So, it’s a very good thing to do because they always need blood at all the organizations.”
Partnering with Carter Blood Care, the Redhawks’ HOSA chapter organized the event at the campus level.
“We’ve been doing a lot of coordinating, figuring out dates, planning supplies, and just how to overall organize the blood drive,” junior and HOSA secretary Sahasra Buchireddygari said. “So, there’s definitely a lot of planning that goes into it.”
Students who wish to donate must be at least 16 years old; parental permission is required for 16-year-olds. Seniors who participate in the blood drive are also eligible to receive a graduation cord in recognition of their contribution.
