Give until you bleed

Give+until+you+bleed

Liv Young, Staff Writer

 

If there weren’t blood transfusions, 4.5 million Americans would die each year. That is the equivalent of nearly 40 cities the size of Rochester disappearing every 12 months. That should put the need for blood donations into perspective for all of us: the problem is severe, and every contribution matters. Each one of us can make an impact. If we donated just one pint of blood, we could save as many as three people’s lives!

Speaking of donations, on October 24th and 25th, Mayo Spartans will have an opportunity to help fix this problem with a blood drive sponsored by the Hope club. If interested, here’s what you do: students aged 16 and 17 years old have to sign up. They can go to room 2-119, between doors 4 and 5, 2nd floor) to get the forms at any time to sign up, but you will need an ID and parent or guardian signature. You could also use the QR code found on the blood drive poster to access the same forms.

You must sign up by Wednesday, Oct. 17.

If you are 18 or older, you should sign up through the link, but if absolutely necessary, you may do a walk-in if none of the time slots work for you.  It is preferable, however, for students and teachers to make an appointment and request a time slot on either of the drive’s two days.

On the form, you will be asked to put your Mayo Clinic number, but that is not required, since not all families go to Mayo for their healthcare.

The blood drive workers do need verification that there will be enough donors to make the blood drive successful, so if everyone is interested, you are asked to sign up by the end of the day today.  After signing up, you will receive a verification email saying that you are ready to go; your appointment time should also be included. The dates, times, and location of the blood drive are Wednesday, Oct 24 (8:00 am – 3:00 pm) and Thursday, Oct 25 (7:00 am – 2:30 pm) at Door 6.