Every year, the American Red Cross runs a blood drive at Leesville Road High School. It is an opportunity for students to donate and save others’ lives.
The Blood Drive will be held in the gym on Tuesday, Oct. 2. Students must be 16 and meet the height and weight requirements for their age.
The day of donation, students need to eat a good, high-calorie breakfast and to drink plenty of water to prevent them from being weak or lightheaded..
“Last year was my first time donating,” said Majid Fakhoury, senior. “The whole process was really organized and took about two hours. I could leave within five minutes of donation and was fine the rest of the day. If you’re able to donate, I highly recommend that you do.”
There is also a Facebook group for the blood drive this year (Leesville Road High School Blood Drive 2012). This group is administered by the three student coordinators– Brendan Marks, Grace Dorman and Katie Arney. They make announcements about important dates and registration information.
“We also have T-shirts that anyone can buy,” says Grace Dorman. “Even if you don’t donate, you can contribute to the drive by buying a shirt.”
There is also a special machine that you can sign up to get blood drawn from. The “big red” is a machine that takes the blood and separates the plasma out of it. For this, you have to fill out a separate permission slip. This blood goes to infants and burn victims.
If you wish to donate, pick up a permission slip from Mr. Broer in room 240. If you are a minor, you need a parent’s signature in order to be able to give blood. The permission slip–which also needs a signature– should be filled out and returned to either Mr. Broer, Mrs. Eastman or Sr. Ross by Friday, Sept. 21.
You will not be allowed to donate unless you bring a driver’s license or passport on the day of donation. After the drive, do not plan on doing any vigorous exercise or heavy lifting. If you have any questions, contact Mr. Broer at ebroer@wcpss.net.
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