Nebraska Community Blood Bank held one of their annual student blood drives on Thursday, May 2 at Pius X.
“The drive was funded by our donor recruitment people,” mobile supervisor Chelsea Meduna said. “We come to Pius for a day, set up our bus and donors stop by and do the rest.”
This drive lasted from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and the bus was parked in the west parking lot next to the new edition.
“All students who were 17 or older were welcome to sign up to donate,” Meduna said.
Students who were 16 were also permitted to do so with parents’ consent.
To donate, all students had to do was answer a few general health screening questions.
“After answering all the questions, it’s just a small poke and a short wait to collect a full pint,” Meduna said. “It is a really quick process to draw blood but sometimes it can take up to 15 minutes.”
The drive had a set goal of 30, and a total of 38 signed up to donate with many more walking in.
“We crushed our goal of 30,” Meduna said. “So many kids wanted to donate that we had to start turning them away because we had collected so much.”
This drive offered free snacks and drinks to anyone who donated.
The food ranged from Girl Scout cookies and granola bars to crackers. A cold Gatorade or juice could be enjoyed with students’ snack of choice.
“It wasn’t painful at all, just a little pinch,” junior Brayden Armagost said. “The pinch was definitely worth it with how yummy the cookies were.”
Along with all the treats, students could have also gotten a Nebraska Community Blood Bank T-shirt.
“I would 100 percent encourage others to donate next time,” sophomore Francis Nebel said. “The T-shirt is really cool, but donating blood helps save lives which is awesome.”
After the drive, all donated blood is taken back to a lab, it is separated into platelets, plasma and red blood cells. One pint of donated blood can help save three different lives.
“The blood students gave stays local and is used in various places around the state,” Meduna said.
If students provided their email prior to giving blood, once that blood is used, they will receive an email of where it went and who it helped.
“The next time Pius hosts a blood drive, students should try it,” Meduna said. “Most high schoolers who have a good experience end up becoming lifelong donors.”
