On Friday, Oct. 17, Manual’s Red Cross Club hosted its annual blood drive. Students ages 16 and over were encouraged to donate blood to save lives. The first drive after the pandemic was held last year in the spring and performed extremely well, causing the club to attempt this drive, held in the fall.
Blood drives are necessary for helping support medical practices around the world. From trauma victims to those battling cancer, patients rely on sufficient blood of their type to survive. Maintaining the stockpile of different blood types is a necessity, and a large portion of this blood is provided through blood drives. At Manual, students were given the opportunity to donate and make a difference.
“Every donation saves a few lives, and I think it’s a really easy and really simple way that you can be selfless and that you can really contribute something tangible to society,” said co-founder and co-president of Red Cross Club Addisyn Rice (12, HSU).
Rice continued to explain that her passion for helping others is what drove her to advocate and organize Manual’s blood drive. Rice herself donated blood and encouraged others to do the same at Manual’s drive or another American Red Cross-sponsored drive.
Many students who were first time donors were apprehensive. Returning donors played a crucial role in influencing their peers to participate.
“I would tell them to consider the lives that they might be able to save,” Hayden Moore (11, HSU) said.
Moore urged others to participate by educating about what blood drives provide to medicine. She was also inclined to participate in the drive due to the independence she felt from donating. Because students who are over the age of 16 were allowed to participate without parental permission, Moore felt the drive was a way she could directly impact the lives of others.The Red Cross Club’s sponsor, Andrew Minor (Math), was also passionate about the drive.
“It’s good to see people understand that helping someone else, a lot of times, incurs somewhat of a personal sacrifice, you know, and so people pushing through like their anxiety or their fear and realizing that what they’re doing is more important than a momentary feeling of discomfort is always inspiring,” Minor said.
Rice and Arjun Sharma (12, MST) in 2023 asked Minor to sponsor the club in 2023, and he agreed. He commended the work that the club has put in to facilitate the blood drives and is excited for the upcoming events and drives.
Manual Red Cross Club’s blood drive will return in the spring of 2026. 16-year-old students are invited to donate with a permission slip from parents, and students over 16 are invited to donate without parental consent needed. The American Red Cross also holds events consistently for anyone interested in donating or volunteering.
“Just donate blood. You know, get out there, get your hands dirty, wherever you can,” Rice said.
