Many TJ students and staff give blood to help save people across the country. photo by Evelyn Jackson
TJ’s rapidly growing NHS shows what they can do with their third blood drive.
As the 2nd semester of the school year starts, the National Honors Society (NHS) club at Thomas Jefferson High School is starting off strong by hosting their third blood drive. The club has been doing these events since last school year, with their first occurring at the beginning of 2025. Over the last year, NHS has been able to grow their chapter, encourage more people to help the community, and has saved hundreds of lives.
The development of these school-wide drives began in late 2024. NHS hadn’t been at the since 2022 until 2025 when sponsors Tambyr Reed and Stephanie Jones reinstated it. After they had re-instated the strong club with plenty of dedicated members, they knew they were ready to start a big project. The students already knew that they wanted to find a way to help their community as best as possible. They had a huge opportunity to make a difference and to spread the word of their newly-created chapter.
The NHS student leaders began the process of setting up a blood drive. The first blood drive took place on February 6th, 2025, where 51 people donated and they collected 51 pints of blood. The blood collected was able to save 137 lives all across America. Their second drive was on November 5th, and gained 66 donations which saved 198 people. Finally, the most recent drive occurred on the 12th of February, 2026 and got an impressive 79 pints of blood which saved around 237 lives. In total, Thomas Jefferson NHS alone has been able to save or greatly improve the lives of 572 people. NHS has rapidly gained attention and members since its reinstatement despite how little time has passed. Going from collecting 51 pints to 79 pints in just a year is an incredible accomplishment for both the chapter and TJ as a whole.
While this increased donation total isn’t just impressive, it’s also necessary. Ever since May of 2019, the Red Cross has announced a national shortage in Type O blood. The Red Cross is urgently asking people to donate their blood if possible as it can save someone’s life. Senior Joe Poole, president of the TJ NHS chapter, stated, “You never know when somebody you know is going to undergo an accident or a tragedy. That blood could potentially save their life.” Poole urgently hopes that people make the choice to donate at the next drive, which is scheduled for April 23rd.
One of the biggest curiosities people typically have is where their blood goes after donation. To answer this question, Poole highlighted one of the best parts of donating blood: the Red Cross app. Once a person donates, they will get a notification letting them know where their blood has gone. “You can track where your blood goes and who it helps,” explained Poole. The app has many different features, including a system where once blood is donated, a set amount of redeemable points are sent to the donors account so that they can exchange it for merchandise items. Sometimes, depending on the urgency of blood donations, gift cards will be given to the donor.
Poole strongly urges people to donate blood and wants to remind TJ students that if they donate twice, they will get a red cord to wear at graduation. Giving blood is an incredible and selfless act that almost anybody can do. The easily accessible opportunity that NHS has provided for the school and surrounding community is remarkable. The future of the chapter can make a difference for so many people.
