With table setups, flyers on tables, and people approaching, you might have noticed that the school-wide blood drive was going on. The blood drive gives students the opportunity to help the community through donating blood to patients in need of it.

In order to participate in the drive, you must meet the qualifications, such as being at least 16 years old, weighing a minimum of 110 pounds, and having good general health. Students were able to sign up during their respective lunch period. The drive occurred on Tuesday, November 11th, and went on throughout the school day from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., receiving lots of participants. During the drive, students went to KWC to get checked in and showed their minga or id at the front desk. After they were checked in, they went to the buses outside, where a nurse would draw their blood, extracting one pint in total. The process usually takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Before donating blood, it’s best to drink lots of water and eat at least two hours before donating. Once students had their blood drawn, they sat in the “recovery area” to rest before returning to class. Here, they were able to recover while having refreshments such as snacks like pizza, fruits, chips, and cookies. As a thank you for donating blood, students received a power bank, otherwise known as a portable charger. The past gift for donating was usually a shirt, but this time, they switched it up. Donors also receive a wellness checkup, which includes measuring blood pressure, pulse, student’s temperature, iron count, and cholesterol screening. This ensures the students are in best health afterwards.

Even though this year’s blood drive is over, since the drive is an annual event, you can always participate in it again next year!