On Friday January 22, the Junior Class Council will be coordinating a Blood Drive through the Central PA Blood Bank. Students can sign up during lunch in McGowan or in 10^th Grade English classes tomorrow up until this Friday, January 15.

The Blood Drive will be held at the McGowan Auditorium lobby and students will be receiving a pass reminding them of the time they signed up for. Here are some important things to note before the blood drive.

To participate in the blood drive, students need to be in good health, at least sixteen years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have gotten tattoos within the last year. It is very important that if students want to participate that they hand in a signed permission form to the McGowan Office or Junior Class Council adviser David Bigelow’s room (M202) by Wednesday January 20. All students must do this, even if they are eighteen years old!

Junior Class President Stephen Hume said, “I feel that people should donate blood through the drive because it is great way to give to a very important cause because there are a lot of people out there who need this blood. Some blood types are not as common and are more in demand. It’s important as a community to help fulfill that need.”

Bigelow added some information on the procedure of the blood drive.

“Once students come to the McGowan Auditorium at their scheduled time, members from the Junior Class Council will greet them and explain what’s happening,” said Bigelow.  “Then the medical professionals will go through their procedures and once someone is done donating blood, Junior Class Council members will be around to see how they feel and if are alright. All students have fifteen minutes for recovery after giving blood and there will be a large table with food for donors.”

Students need to sign up by today, Fri Jan 15, if they want to participate in the blood drive and they are allowed to choose which period to miss which offers more incentive.

For students that may still feel unsure, the Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank’s official website suggests that “eating a good meal and hydrating yourself with caffeine-free drinks helps to make sure your donation experience is a positive one.” They also add that “most donors say they barely felt anything and they describe blood donation as a slight pinch on the inside of their arm.”

The best part of donating blood truly though is understanding that the donation is going towards helping someone else in a serious medical emergency. With that, any little prick of a needle is worth it because no matter how small a donation may seem, each and every one really does save lives.