FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) sponsored a school wide blood drive May 6.
The blood drive kicked off at 7:45 a.m., and the last donor was taken back to class at 2:30 p.m. Each donor went through a 45 minute procedure to donate blood.
“They signed in, were given a Red Cross information booklet to read, then they proceeded to be interviewed by a nurse and have their finger pricked. If they were cleared by the nurse to give blood, they were sent to a table to be hooked up and have blood drawn,” consumer science teacher Karoline Webster said.
Junior Allie Thornton was excited to reach out to the community and donate blood.
“When I had the opportunity to do it for school I felt like it was the right thing to do,” Junior Allie Thornton said.
Two hundred and ten donors signed up to give blood. All of the donations are used locally. The blood drive in 2011 proved to be successful directly after.
“When the tornadoes hit on April 27, we had just had our drive and the blood was used for local emergencies,” Webster said.
Webster says there are no risks involved with donating blood. The donors are screened to determine if there is any health risk and if there is, they are not allowed to donate.
“The benefits are serving your community in a positive way and possibly saving a life,” Webster said.
There has been a school wide blood drive for over 15 years. The next blood drive has already been scheduled for next year.