Out for blood

Community drive brings in donations

ROLLING UP SLEEVES Medical personel gathers donated blood from senior Hallie Reeves in the first blood drive bus parked at the main entrance. Student volunteers were excused from class to donate.

Nathan Canales

ROLLING UP SLEEVES Medical personel gathers donated blood from senior Hallie Reeves in the first blood drive bus parked at the main entrance. Student volunteers were excused from class to donate.

Laney Rendon, News Editor
November 14, 2017

Not many people can say they saved more than one life in a lifetime. However, 134 students did just that Oct. 5 and 6 when they rolled up their sleeves to donate blood and saved 402 lives.

Family and Community Services sponsored the blood drive to benefit the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center. FACS, formerly Peer Assistance and Leadership, has sponsored the annual drive for about 20 years.

“They used to do it in the senior dining hall,” FACS teacher Tina Olcott said, “because back then that was the school entrance.”

FACS students walked volunteers to class, made sure donors were hydrated, pointed donors to the right stations and ensured volunteers met all the requirements.

Those 17 and older could give blood while 16-year-olds could donate with parents’ permission.

“It’s a really cool experience,” senior Grace Gray said. “It’s good to give back. [It] makes you feel good about yourself.”

Junior McKelvie Maxwell took away more than just a sense of helping others.

“I want to make a difference in people’s lives,” she said. “Helping people feels good.”

Two donating buses park in front of the main entrance, where FACS student, Brianna Spillman, goes to assist donors. FACS students helped students get to the correct bus and walked donors to class. “You have to drink water before and after you go,” Spillman said. “(Also), you have to be a certain height. Your weight has to balance out with your height to donate.” (Photo by Laney Rendon)

Maxwell was not the only student who felt compelled to do something to help victims of the hurricane, which damaged the Texas coast and flooded Houston.

“I love helping out the community,” junior Keyerra French said. “My blood is universal so I thought, ‘Hey, why not?’”

Some students can donate multiple times before graduating.

“(Last year), it wasn’t difficult at all,” Gray said. “I was basically just tired at the end of the day, but it wasn’t bad. Just make sure that you stay hydrated.”

The blood drive saved 50 more lives than last year, Olcott said.

“Not only did we have students come in, we had people from the community who also noticed the buses were here, or they saw it online,” she said. “So it wasn’t just students and teachers. It was a big success.”