On February 27, The American Red Cross Club hosted a blood drive, allowing students and teachers of the PDS Upper School to donate blood to those in need. The Red Cross Club sets up annually in the gymateria with the help of student and teacher volunteers. The donors must be at least 16 years old and must meet the height and weight requirements. This event was a great way to help out the community, and whether people donated blood or helped to set up, all participants should be recognized for their generosity. 

The blood drive was a huge success, and all blood received will be given to local hospitals. Each donation has the potential to save three lives, so every donor made a huge impact. Junior co-head of the American Red Cross Club, William Sedley says, “We wanted to once again give a big thank you to everyone who donated. We received donations from 22 people, and while that was less than our goal, we still managed to raise enough blood to save a deeply meaningful amount of lives.” Senior co-head of the American Red Cross Club, Caroline Haggerty adds, “Our school’s combined effort for this blood drive helped save 66 lives!” 

The Red Cross Club members and everyone who participated in the execution of the blood drive have made a huge impact, and according to faculty advisor Dr. Candy Shah, “If not for the efforts of our leaders and the rest of the Red Cross Club, we couldn’t have pulled this off. Donating blood doesn’t take skill or talent. It doesn’t have socio-economic limitations. Literally anyone can offer to give.  The very extensive screening process and narrow limits of eligibility set by the organization is the only thing that volunteers must meet. I am thankful that our students see the value in this event and put forth their best efforts to bring it to PDS every year.”