This event was organized and run by Adriana Martinez, vice‐president of the PTC, who has organized several blood drives in the past.
The American Red Cross collects blood and stores it for people who may need it after a natural disaster or catastrophe. The blood is stored in a refrigerated facility to keep it fresh.
During a blood drive, nurses take a pint of blood out of the arm of each volunteer. The volunteer must be 17 or older (or 16 with parent permission); be in good health; have had no body piercings or tattoos within the last 6 months; weigh over 100 pounds; and not be taking any antibiotics. Donors must wait 8 months until they can donate again. For safety and health reasons, children cannot be in the same room as the blood drive. Aeolian provided free daycare, with snacks and activities, for the parents who needed it.
At Aeolian’s Blood Drive, 34 volunteers came to the cafeteria. Twenty‐eight of the 34 people were allowed to donate; 6 were not. Adriana Martinez was one of the 28 donors. When interviewed later, she shared that giving blood hurt just a little bit, but she wasn’t nervous because she had done this many times before. Afterwards, she felt a little dizzy, so she ate some snacks and drank some juice provided by the Red Cross to help donors’ bodies produce new blood more quickly.
If you missed this blood drive, and you want to give blood in the future, Aeolian will host another blood drive sometime in May.
‐‐by Grade 6 Journalism students
To view more pictures, go to "About Us", Click on "Blood Drive"