Students and teachers give blood for HOSA blood drive
Teachers and students come together to give blood for a good cause.
November 21, 2016
Students anxiously wait to get their blood drawn.
HOSA organized their annual blood drive on November 16.
Sujith Abbagoni, a junior, directed the event. He put together the schedules using questionnaires and surveys, along with putting in students’ itineraries. He also worked together with Red Cross and regional director, Ms. Mahan.
As he got the event in order, he noticed two things. “It was a lot faster than previous ones,” Abbagoni said, noting that the event was more efficient with more Red Cross staff. He also noted that there were less people, most likely due to respiratory problems from the smoke in the air.
Students all waited to get their blood drawn. When asked why they came that day, they each had a different answer. “To save a life,” Hanna Sepsick said. “My friends encouraged me to,” answered senior Jessica Objartel. “Going for a good cause,” said junior, Mary Egan.
Team Advisor Shamocka Bolton speaks about why Lambert does this blood drive.
Shamocka Bolton, the adviser for the Red Cross team, said that Lambert HOSA does this to “continue to save lives” and “continue to recruit young donors.” She advised that anyone getting their blood drawn for the first time to be calm and try not to be nervous.
Senior Natasha Ramaswamy, a HOSA member who volunteered to take care of patients and had finished getting her own blood drawn, helped give more of an idea of how it was set up. ”The blood goes to the American Red Cross,” she said, “… some go to local hospitals.”
She ended saying the reason they all came together was that, “there was no greater gift to give than the gift of life.”
