Key Club sponsored a Blood Drive on October 10 and 11. Every day, blood donors help patients of all ages: accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer. Because the amount of blood donors in Indiana has plummeted, the Indiana Blood Bank is in a state of emergency. 

To combat this, Key Club sponsored a Blood Drive for the Indiana Blood Bank for students and teachers to participate.

“We facilitate sign ups, host and promote the blood drive a few weeks in advance,” senior Hannah Bilsland, one of the co-presidents of Key Club, said.

While some students could not sign up to give blood,139 students donated blood, which amounts to almost 18 gallons. This is more students than any other year in the past decade.

Each student, whether they donated blood for the first time during this drive or have donated blood multiple times before, has unique reasons for their choice to give blood.

Joaquin Fajardo ’20, who has given blood over five times before, said, “I like helping others, so I am very used to doing stuff like this for people in need.”

“I didn’t even know why I wanted to donate. I was in STaR and Key Club members came and said I should donate blood. I’m actually really surprised that I followed up with it,” said Noah Bowersox ’21 when he gave blood for the first time.

Some students were pleasantly surprised with their experience.

“I have been wanting to give blood since I was a freshman, but I have always been so scared,” senior Sydney McDaniel said. “My friend, this year, pushed me to be brave when I was trying to back out. It’s honestly not a bad experience and I am glad I did it.”

Each donation can save up to three lives, so every donation counts. If you were unable to donate or want to donate again, Key Club will be hosting another blood drive in the spring.