The athletic trainers’ office and HOSA club, in partnership with the American Red Cross, recently hosted a blood drive in the South Gym. As organized by athletic trainer Deanna Stickney, the drive hosted qualified Red Cross doctors and nurses; additional coordination and assistance was provided by HOSA volunteers who undertook scheduling, handed out permission slips, and distributed juice and snacks to donors.

“It went really well,” commented HOSA sponsor Tori Haas. “We collected 27 viable units of blood, and each of those units is eligible to save three people,” she said.

This year marks the first school blood drive put on since the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the practice in 2020. That meant the drive was somewhat limited in its scale, but Haas said she hopes to continue expanding the practice going forward. This drive represents just one such event in the fight to alleviate the nation’s continuing blood shortage.

If you or someone you know is interested in donating blood, you can find the closest blood bank by clicking here.