Spartan Assembly worked with the Mississippi Valley Blood Center to host a blood drive on Wednesday, Dec. 5 from 11:30-1:30 in the main gym, right after students were let out for the early out.
To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 16 and 110 pounds. If you are 16 or 17 years old, a parent or guardian’s signature was necessary. A photo ID was required to donate.
According to the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC), “Blood donation is a safe, simple procedure that takes about 45 minutes to one hour.” Spartan Assembly members will work with each donor to make their experience quick and easy.
The MVRBC provides its services to 88 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. It is a non-profit organization.
The MVRBC stated, “You must be in good health and feeling well on the day of donation. Prospective donors should eat a full meal within four hours of donating, avoiding fried, fatty foods and whole dairy products.”
The blood drives encourages students and staff to give back to their community and help those in need.
Spartan Assembly has put a lot of work into making this blood drive great and efficient. “Spartan Assembly communicates with the Mississippi Valley blood drive center to set up the blood drive,” said junior Spartan Assembly member Margaret Huang. “We gather signups and the work alongside the staff at the event to make sure everything goes smoothly, doing things like checking in on and tending to the people donating.”
Junior and Spartan Assembly member Hannah Lederman said, “Just by donating once, you will save three lives. It is something so simple to do but makes such a huge impact, not only on the people you will be helping, but it makes you feel so good about your contribution to other’s health and well being.”
If you did not donate during this blood drive, the MVRBC and Spartan Assembly members encourage you to consider donating at one the future blood drives this year. “Speak to any Spartan Assembly member if you are interested in donating and they will sign you up and make sure you are prepared for that day. There will be two more blood drives to come this school year. The great thing about giving blood is that you can donate every 56 days,” Lederman said.
The Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center reports collecting blood from around 5,000 mobile blood drives each year. While this may seem like it results in a large amount of blood, the center reports a constant need for more donors and reminds people that one pint of blood can save three lives and is an easy way to give back this holiday season.
