On March 17, among the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day, Foothill Technology High School’s (Foothill Tech) Bioscience Academy brought a piece of gold to campus with Vitalant, a national blood donation center, at the annual Spring blood drive. Students arriving at Foothill Tech were met with three Vitalant donation buses at the front of the school, where students meeting the eligibility requirements were able to donate life-sustaining blood for hospitals across the community.
The event ran throughout the school day, where students met with Bioscience staff who ensured a smooth check-in, ensured parental permission for minors and provided recommended food, drink and other safety measures. Once in the buses, students were able to donate blood that would eventually go toward critical care patients, individuals undergoing transfusions and more. In total, 37 units of blood were collected.
“This is having real-life effects outside of our school and outside of HOSA … So when it comes to donating, maybe it’s just like a small thing you can do for 45 minutes, but it’s actually contributing to people outside of school, and it’s saving lives,” Elizabeth Geib ’28, the sophomore blood drive director, said.
Each donation drawn from this event has the potential to save up to three lives through the components red blood cells, platelets and plasma, each representing an essential yet unmanufacturable resource for medical care. These key tools in a hospital’s arsenal are in constant demand, making each donation likely to make a vital impact. Not only does this event facilitate students contributing to local medical service, but it also serves as both an educational experience for donors and Bioscience staff in their engagement with professionals in the field.
“The main reason, I believe, we go to high schools in particular is if we can get donors in the door at a young age, getting them used to donating, there’s a higher likelihood that they’re going to continue to be blood donors for the rest of their lives,” Jason McClelland, Vitalant donor care supervisor, said.
“I feel a lot of gratitude that [Vitalant] comes and works with us, and I feel like we get a lot of experience being able to set up a professional developmental event as well as save lives in the process,” Harlon Denton ‘27, the junior blood drive director, said.
The donations collected, totalling enough blood for over 100 patients, were safely secured by Vitalant and Bioscience staff who together led the effort to a smooth and successful conclusion. The donating dragons exited the buses, adorned with bandaged arms, and left with the knowledge that they made an impact. Information about the blood donation process, a donation’s impact and more can be found on Vitalant’s website.
