Spring blood drive set for Feb. 21-22

Students+can+give+blood+in+the+spring+blood+drive+even+if+they+do+not+have+a+scheduled+appointment.+Donors+receive+a+t-shirt.

Katelyn Spivey

Students can give blood in the spring blood drive even if they do not have a scheduled appointment. Donors receive a t-shirt.

Students can donate in the spring blood drive hosted by Key Club in the upper commons Wednesday, Feb. 21 and Thursday, Feb. 22 from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The deadline to make an appointment to donate blood in the blood drive has passed, but students are still encouraged to donate. All donations will go to the Coffee Memorial Blood Center, which maintains the blood supply of local hospitals. Students must be 16 years old with a signed parent permission form, and 16 or 17-year-old students must weigh at least 125 lbs. Students who are 18 years old or older must weigh at least 110 lbs. All participants must present a photo ID and eat a good meal before and after donating.

“The younger you are, the more they want you to weigh,” Key Club sponsor and computer science teacher Lance Culbert said. “We would like to have 140 donations. That’s really important this time of year because of the flu. A lot of people are sick and can’t donate or are having to stay home and take care of sick family members.”

Each donor receives a t-shirt, and the Coffee Memorial Blood Center will award scholarships to two seniors who donate from any school hosting blood drives.

Coffee Memorial is doing two $1,000 scholarships, and any senior who participates is eligible to win those,” Culbert said. “It’s not just at our school. It’s at all the schools they do drives at. For just our school, they are doing five $10 gift certificates.”