For her National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) service project, Our Lady of Good Counsel School (OLGC) student and NJHS member Campbell Brown will host a blood drive on Monday, July 24.
The event is in partnership with OLGC and the American Red Cross, and will be held in the school’s cafeteria at 11 a.m.
“This was really the first idea that I ever had, because I knew that my dad always donated blood, so I was interested to see if you could host a blood drive,” Brown said. “Once I found out that you could, I really just wanted to keep going with this as my first option. This was my main idea that I really wanted to do.”
Brown last year became a member of OLGC’s chapter of the honor society, whose members are required to complete a school-wide service project.
So she hosted a drive that summer and saw 27 units of blood donated to the American Red Cross.
“The one thing I think we’ve learned by doing this is, it’s not as easy as saying, ‘Here’s a blood drive, please sign up,’” noted Brown’s mother, Amanda. “A lot of people are skittish and they’re nervous about it, and it’s not really that big of a deal …
“It’s a feel-good thing.”
According to redcrossblood.org there are different types of blood donations with certain eligibility requirements: whole blood donations, power red donations, platelet donations and plasma donations. Blood donors help patients of all ages: those who are accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer.
Holding a blood drive not only gives patients the lifesaving blood they need, but its host shows leadership in bringing volunteers and donors together for a good cause.
“They’ve been very understanding, and they’ve been good to work with, helping us promote the blood drives,” the younger Brown said of working with the American Red Cross. “ … They’re really fun to work with and all of them are really nice people.”
“I think Campbell learned through this that it’s an easy thing to do,” Amanda noted. “We’re just happy to do it again, and OLGC has been wonderful and supportive … Even our principal and our vice principal, teachers … They’ve all been amazingly supportive.”
The Red Cross estimates someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds, for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries, among other needs. Whether a patient receives whole blood, red cells, platelets or plasma, lifesaving care starts with one person donating.
“Going into it, you may be a little nervous, but … you’ll feel good about yourself because there’s always a need for blood,” Campbell observed. “It’s always being given out to people.”
“It’s always needed.”
For more details or to sign up, visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=OLGCNJHS.
