Hosted by the West Linn High School Red Cross Club, an on-campus blood drive occurred on Thursday, March 12. The club members helped run the event, while certified Red Cross nurses and staff handled the blood donations. This drive brought in 22 student donors and 43 total donors.

Lucy Lu, senior, has been a member of the Red Cross Club since she was a freshman and became the president this year. Her interest in pursuing medicine as a career led her to join the club. 

“Through organizing blood drives and promoting donation, I’m able to play a direct role in something that helps save lives,” Lu said. “It made medicine feel more tangible to me, not just something I study, but something I can actively be a part of, even in high school.”

To recruit donors, club members and officers follow this formula: After a drive is announced, Red Cross Club members are given a sign-up sheet to walk around the school, asking students and teachers if they would like to sign up to donate blood. If people agree to volunteer, they write down their phone number and/or email on the sheet, along with other info such as their age, preferred donation time, and whether they are a first-time donor. Shortly after, they are added to the Red Cross database and notified when their appointment is scheduled. Blood drives at the school are typically every two months, and one or two more are planned for the rest of this school year. 

“As the president, I closely coordinate with the American Red Cross and oversee all parts of each blood drive, which include guiding student volunteers, promoting the event, gathering donors from student recruiters, and scheduling their appointments on the Red Cross system, planning [or] leading biweekly meetings, and delegating tasks for officers,” Lu said. 

Kaleb McKern, a math teacher who has been teaching here for 13 years, is a seasoned donor who has been donating blood for over 10 years. He has also donated around 12 attending three of the campus blood drives at the high school. 

“I think donating blood is important because there is a big need for blood in our nation and across the world, where people have injuries or are in need of a blood transfusion or need blood for something that they need to live and so if we have the ability to give blood, it’s important that we do if we can,” McKern said.

The Red Cross Organization collects over 13.6 million units of red blood cells and whole blood every year across the US. Whole blood is used to help those in need in two different ways: it can be transfused into a single person or can be broken down and used for its components, such as plasma, red blood cells, and platelets, which are cell fragments in blood. A regular red blood cell transfusion contains three units of blood, and one donation can help save up to three lives. The average adult has 1.2-1.5 gallons (10 units) of blood in their body, depending on the height and weight of the individual. 62% of Americans are eligible to donate, which means 204.9 million eligible donors.

“It’s important to keep donating as long as I can, as long as I’m able. There’s definitely a need [for donations], and it gives me the opportunity to hopefully keep giving back in some way where people can utilize it. A lot of people can’t unfortunately give blood, and so if people can then [they should],” McKern said.

The age requirements for donating blood vary depending on the specific donation you are doing and the state you live in, but for a normal whole blood donation, you must be at least 16 years old. In 2021, 4.2% of donations came from those whose ages ranged from 16 to 18 years old.

People interested in donating can contact the Red Cross Organization to donate blood at https://www.redcrossblood.org/contact-us.html.