Did you know that one pint of blood can save up to three lives?
Colchester High School will host a blood drive on Tuesday, March 18, from 9:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m. in the CHS gymnasium. All school and community members seventeen years of age and older are welcome to participate (click here for other eligibility requirements).
“Each year at CHS, we hold a blood drive to help save patients’ lives,” CHS’s Deb Deschamps, RN, said. “Almost 20 percent of the millions of blood donations made yearly come from young donors at high school and college blood drives. It is our hope that community members will join with our eligible high school students to make this year our best yet.”
Blood is used for patients undergoing many surgical procedures, organ transplants, trauma, and chemotherapy. For some patients, such as victims of automobile accidents, the need for blood is sudden. For others, ongoing transfusions are needed to sustain medical treatment.
The blood drive is sponsored by CHS Cares, a volunteer organization that works within the school and community to create a caring environment, making a difference in the community in which we live. Of the students helping to coordinate the event, Deschamps said, “The CHS students help with many facets of the drive and gain valuable leadership skills while performing this community service. From publicity, set up, and registering donors to working as donor aides and offering refreshments to the donors, students are vital in keeping the drive operating smoothly.”
What is important for donors to know?
“During the registration process, donors are instructed on the importance of getting eight hours of sleep the night before the donation, eating a healthy breakfast, not skipping meals on the day of the donation, and drinking a few extra glasses of water each day in the days prior to the donation,” Deschamps said. “Most students have a good donation experience and feel good about donating. If they follow the above instructions, students should expect very few ill effects; most reactions are mild symptoms, such as dizziness and light-headedness, that resolve quickly.”
To be eligible to donate, donors must be healthy, at least 17 years old (16 with signed Red Cross parental/guardian consent form), weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have given blood in the previous fifty-six (56) days. High school students and other donors eighteen years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Those interested in donating can locate the March 18 CHS blood drive on www.redcross.org and register for an appointment time, or they can call Deb Deschamps directly at 264-5724.
Donors are asked to bring their Red Cross donor cards if they have one and/or a photo ID.
Click here to read “A Student’s Guide to Blood Donation,” which is provided by the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross also provides a great deal of information about blood donation on its website. First-time donors can click here to learn about the process, donation FAQs can be found here, and for still more information about the blood donation process, click here.
For questions or to sign up, please e-mail Deborah Deschamps at deschampsd@csdvt.org.
When we’re all informed, we make a stronger community! Please encourage your friends and family to subscribe to the Spotlight.
