Sitting on a cold chair with a wrap squeezing your arm as a large needle approaches you, may seem really scary. However, the need to help people is larger than your fear. 

“It takes like an hour out of your day. So it’s something that’s really easy to do and help the community,” Andrea Lohse (Math) said.

The goal of Grandview’s blood drive is to ensure that there is enough blood and resources for those who need the blood for medical emergencies and to encourage people to donate.  

“The blood drive is important because hospitals, children, adults, and people in surgery rely on blood being stored and saved for them in case of a medical emergency,” Dean Anna Bergeron said.

Lohse has a more personal reason to care about the blood drive.

“My husband was a child with cancer and he actually got a lot of blood transfusions,” Lohse said. “So, I’ve seen the effect that blood donations can have on people.”

The blood donated through the Grandview’s blood drive has contributed to the community immensely.

“We typically have 40 people donate,” Bergeron said. “So we’re sending this to hospitals to potentially help over 100 people.”

An event this big takes preparation and lots of student help. National Honor Society along with the Medical Careers Club and Red Cross Club all work together to help with the event.

“We usually have like one or two of our members or students from the medical club,” Bergeron said. “They are to assist if any issues arise.”

The preparation that goes into the event is important for the health of the donors.

“We always get materials together for the donors,” Lohse said. “We have snacks that the donors will eat after they donate, so that way they can take care of themselves.”  

Although students help set up the tables and snacks for donors, Vitalent, the blood donation company, is mostly in charge of the event.

“They bring in the nurses and people so they provide us with the schedule, and they bring all of their supplies,” said Bergeron. 

To reach the end goal of a smooth sailing event, collaboration with Vitalent is necessary.

“We get together with the Vitalent coordinator and we just kind of see what kind of things that they need, what times they’ll have slots and what times they’ll need volunteers,” Lohse said.

After a lot of planning, setting up, and collaboration the result is an event that helps better the community. 

“We like to do the blood drive to help those around us and really just promote that sense of community and giving back that I think Grandview really stands for,” Lohse said.