The Salida High School National Honors Society is a group of high achieving students in the school that work on projects to improve the community, and they must do at least one group community project per year. Currently, NHS Is organizing a blood drive to try to get people to donate blood to the blood bank for those in need on May 1st, 2025.
The NHS Advisor, Paul Brackmann said, “A blood drive is something that is for the benefit of the entire Community. Everybody gains when our local hospitals have plenty of blood for emergencies.”
The blood drive will be run by the American Red Cross, but it will be organized by the students of the NHS as part of the blood donation program that Red Cross runs. Involvement in the program is open to any organization, and Red Cross provides planning assistance to help organize the blood drive as well as help with the recruitment of donors. These blood drives are essential because nearly 82% of all blood donated is collected at drives like this. The American Red Cross provides trained personnel to draw blood so there is a safety assurance for people who decide to donate.
NHS is planning on making this blood drive a biannual occurrence. Since this is the first time they are running this event, there is no set goal for the amount of blood donated, but by getting as many people to donate as possible, they will have more realistic goals in future years based on the amount of blood donated in previous drives.
There will be food and rewards at the blood drive for those who donate blood. Anybody who donates must be above the age of 16, with parental consent being required for those under the age of 18. Other requirements for donation include not having any STDs or STIs, weighing over 110 pounds, and meeting height requirements.
The amount donated by an individual person is determined by height and weight so that only a safe amount of blood is removed. There is currently a blood shortage in the United States, which causes issues when blood is needed. Last year, the amount of blood donors hit an all-time low for the past 20 years, and in July of 2024 the blood supply dropped by 25%.
Hospitals desperately need blood for the people that need it, especially O-group, which is the most often transfused blood type. When one person donates one unit of blood, it can have an impact on 3 people for the better. So, the National Honors Society calls on the citizens of Salida to donate to the blood drive on May 1st, 2025, to make a positive difference in our community, and the greater world.
