Thomas Jefferson

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Living for Giving

Posted 01/31/2025 by Harper Skurky-Thomas

Students are highly encouraged to donate blood in the upcoming NHS blood drive. graphic by Anja Oss

TJ’s National Honors Society kicks off their community events with a schoolwide blood drive.

Thomas Jefferson’s National Honors Society will partner with the Red Cross to host a blood drive at TJ on Thursday, February 6. This blood drive will be the first community NHS event this year. TJ’s goal is to collect 50-60 pints of blood, which will be used to help patients of nearby hospitals who are in need. Donated blood is used to help people who have been in accidents, people who have cancer, and other vulnerable patients. Blood donations save lives, but blood expires quickly, so the supply must constantly be refilled. TJ’s participation in this blood drive will help save lives.

In order to donate, students can sign up for appointments in the clinic downstairs before the blood drive starts. They will be given a set time to choose from and then come in for the donation. Students should come with an ID such as a driver’s license. Students 16 and older are eligible to donate blood, but students who are 16 or 17 must fill out a parental permission slip before being allowed to donate, which they can get from the clinic downstairs or from the NHS table, which will be located outside the cafeteria during 5th period lunch. “If they have questions or want to talk about it first to see if they’re eligible, I can talk them through that process,” said TJ nurse Ally Larocque. Upon showing up to the appointment, students will be asked questions to ensure they are able to donate. One recommendation for donors is to fill out a rapid pass with all of these questions and information before showing up to donate at redcrossblood.org/rapidpass. “If you fill out that rapid pass, it helps you speed through that process…That will kind of cut out about 15 minutes,” advised Larocque. Once all the forms have been filled out, the actual blood donation will begin. The actual process is relatively painless and should take less than 10 minutes. Afterward, students will be given a free t-shirt and snacks to make sure they’re feeling well after donation.

While all eligible students and staff members are encouraged to donate, there are certain factors that can prevent you from donating. All students below the age of 16 will not be able to donate, and people must weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health, and not have donated blood in the past 56 days. Certain medical conditions such as blood clotting disorders or anemia will prevent you from being able to donate. People who have recently traveled to certain countries may also not be able to donate. However, people with conditions such as diabetes or asthma are able to donate. Individuals who have recently had a tattoo or piercing in a licensed facility will also be able to donate. Students who are unsure of their ability to donate blood should check the Red Cross’ donor FAQs at https://www.redcrossblood.org/faq.

With this being the first NHS first community event, hopes are high for this blood drive. NHS sponsor Stephanie Jones said, “Our officers have done a really good job of communicating and coming up with delegations. They just really are taking initiative to make this a really good event.” Both NHS sponsors and officers are looking forward to jumpstarting more community events at TJ. Jones hopes that this blood drive can set a precedent for future student-run events, including more blood drives.

Blood donation is incredibly important and saves lives all over the country. Just one blood donation can save the lives of up to three people. “If you have met the criteria [to donate], I would highly suggest it,” said NHS sponsor Tambyr Reed. “My mother donated blood when I was younger to a close family friend when he was sick with cancer and it does help. It does go right to the people. It’s not sitting in a unit stored for weeks and years and months.” The Red Cross allows donors to track which hospital and what kind of patient their blood is used in, meaning donors can see firsthand the impact their donation has on people’s lives. Between 30-50% of ICU patients need blood during their stay in the hospital. Blood donors are always needed and your donation could save multiple lives. Consider participating in this donation drive, Spartans!