On Wednesday, May 1, from 8:00 A.M to 2:00 P.M., the GHS student council partnered with the American Red Cross and hosted a blood drive at GHS for anybody who wanted to donate a pint of their blood. It was the fourth blood drive at GHS that Jenna Berzy, the head of the student council, organized. It was a successful event with eighty people showing up; fifty-five of them were able to donate their blood that day.

Sophomore Aubrey Wallace, who went with her friends to donate blood, said, “It was a great experience and something selfless for me to do. I love the idea that my blood is going to help people who badly need it.”

When people arrived at the main gym to donate on Wednesday, they had to show an ID to gain acess into the event, because the American Red Cross rules state that only people above the age of 16 are eligible to give blood. After that, the nurses asked everyone questions individually confirming personal information and past medical history.

Wallace said, “One nurse asked me questions and one got me ready. They found a vein in my arm and stuck the needle in. After that, I just waited patiently until I donated a full pint.”

There were also provided snacks and juice for all of the participants when they finished donating their blood. This was a precaution to be sure that nobody would pass out from the blood loss.

“I now have a pretty bad bruise on my arm, but it’s all for a great cause,” Wallace said.

Donating blood makes a big difference in the lives of others. Blood drives are organized around the world for the sake of helping sick and even dying patients in need of blood. It’s a cause that the student council at GHS has been contributing to for years and will contribute to for many more.

”We do a blood drive every year because there’s always been such a strong need for blood at our hospitals since I could remember. This is also our first time using the American Red Cross as our company, and we really like what they did this year. We’re hoping to use them again for our blood drives in the future,” Berzy said.