StuCo holds fall blood drive

Kris Long, Opinions Editor

“We want your blood.” 

That’s what the signs around school have said over the past few weeks. But it wasn’t not vampires, it was Student Council advertising the fall edition of the twice-annual blood drive last Tuesday.

“I heard they were doing it and I thought it was interesting,” senior Alejandro Ortes who donated blood last Tuesday said. “I just felt like it was a good thing to do.”

The 62 pints of blood collected — with each donor giving one pint — indicated students, faculty and community members were receptive to the messages about the annual event hall all day in the MHS West South Gym.

The goal going into the drive was to get 60 pints of blood; breaking that was a positive sign for those who organized the event.

“[62 pints] is really good. I’m really pleased with how it went today,” Higgins said. “Last year we got 40 pints in the spring… but this one went significantly better than that one… it went really well and I’m proud of us.”

The success is despite the volunteers being forced to turn down almost 20 donors due to them being anemic or otherwise unable to donate their blood. 

According the StuCo president Hannah Higgins, the blood drive is a well established tradition at Manhattan High. Student Council has held the blood drive twice annually at MHS for around twenty-five years.

Members of StuCo worked shifts all of the school day along with the Red Cross workers to set up the drive and take care of donors. StuCo members were responsible for giving all volunteers food and a drink after they donated their blood as well as checking each donor in and out. 

All of the blood was donated to the Red Cross — whose workers helped organize and did the blood drawing itself to be distributed wherever it is needed throughout the region. 

One pint of blood could save up to three people’s lives in emergency situations, giving MHS a collective potential to save up to 186 lives. 

“You can make a really big difference with just one pint of blood and it doesn’t hurt at all,” Higgins said. “A lot of people are scared of the needles but it’s actually very painless and the nurses are… great so you’re in great hands at a Manhattan High blood drive.”

Although the number of participants is a small percentage of the student population at MHS, the donations are important. 

“One donation can save a lot of lives,” sponsor Leslie Campbell said. “It’s definitely worth half an hour of your time.”