Every Drop Counts: Blood Drive Now Cancelled

Redwood Rangers’ annual blood drive was canceled this Wednesday, April 24th where rangers ages sixteen and up had the option to give back and donate their blood to Central California Blood Center.

By: Lily Swanson

For the last couple of years, Redwood A.S.B. has hosted, directed, and advertised for Redwood’s annual blood drive. These blood drives save lives and create a sense of community on campus for both staff and students who choose to donate. Blood drives usually involve setting up donation stations where students, faculty, and staff can donate blood.

The drive was supposed to be located in room 31 on Wednesday, April 24th. All day the donors were scheduled to be organized into time slots where they could donate. The blood drive was a small way to give back and make a positive impact on our community.

“It’s generally very simple to get your blood drawn and it takes a very little amount of time and it can affect people in a huge way.” Says, Mrs. Aston.

Blood Drive Poster on rhsrangers Instagram

Unfortunately, this Monday, April 22nd it was canceled due to a lack of volunteers. With this news, it’s important to explain why these things are so important not only for people in need but to strengthen the community itself. Mrs. Aston says, “It’s important to me because not only are we affecting our Visalia community but we are affecting it in a way that can save lives.”

Mrs. Aston says “It has been canceled due to lack of sign-ups. I am really disappointed that it had to be canceled. Last year we were able to have 20 students donate blood and we were hoping to beat that number this year.”

Issac Nelson the A.S.B. president said other than filling out the form with your information for the drive it is relatively easy to donate blood and that he even did it for his church one year. Nelson says, “Blood drives provide a unique opportunity for community members to come together and make a positive impact collectively. These events create a sense of unity, as any and all students can join forces with a shared goal of helping others.”

Although the blood drive was canceled this year, Mrs. Aston says, “We are going to try and host another blood drive next school year during the fall semester. We understand how important donating blood is for our local community and hopefully, we can be more successful next school year.”