Hi everyone! For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Sami Stuart, and I am a junior here at Grandview. You may be familiar with the drunk driving accident in which Grandview student, Phoebe Lester, was killed the summer of 2017. She was on my cheerleading team my freshman year here, so the accident greatly impacted my life. I am working on my Gold Award project this year which is the highest award for Girl Scouts, and is the equivalent of an Eagle Scout for Boy Scouts. I wanted to do something with my Gold Award project to honor Phoebe, while preventing further accidents.

My project is a three-part effort aimed at providing awareness of the impacts of drunk driving, preventing further accidents, and giving back to people in the community impacted by drunk driving accidents. The event is called the Annual Phoebe Lester Memorial Event and it is scheduled for Monday, December 10th from 9 am to 1 pm (a B day). Phoebe was an organ donor, and while she lost her life, she helped save the lives of others after her accident. One big part of the event is a drunk driving themed blood drive. Accidents, including drunk driving accidents, occur frequently during the winter months and holidays, so blood donations are in very high demand during this time. It would be a huge help to the community and people around us that are in need of blood, if you are able to donate. There is a sign up genius below. Remember, “Every one donation can save up to three lives!” The time slots to donate are listed on the sign up genius, and there are two slots available for each time period. The whole process will take about an hour. Please be sure to sign up during your offs or lunch hours, because this is the week before finals, and many teachers will be hesitant to let their students out during class. Also, please read the qualifications document attached. This is very important, as the requirements to donate blood have recently changed, specifically with height and weight. EVEN IF YOU DONATED LAST YEAR, YOUR ELIGIBILITY MAY NOT BE THE SAME. I have also attached a minor donor consent form. If you are 16 or 17 the day of the drive, you must get these forms signed by a parent or guardian. There will be reminders a day before the drive, but please be sure to drink plenty of water and eat lots of (healthy) food before the drive.

If you can’t donate blood because of sports, failure to meet the qualifications, etc., then I have volunteer jobs available as well in a separate sign up genius below. At the blood drive, there will be a food station where donors go after giving blood. I would love one or preferably two people each period at the station watching over donors to make sure that they are healthy before going back to class. Time slots are different lengths, so hours will be given accordingly. I also would love for people to bring in food for the donors. The items are listed in the sign up genius. In addition to the blood drive at the event, I will also have ride-share sign ups such as Uber and Lyft, as an alternative to driving impaired; representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and a local donor (cornea and/or organ) bank at the event to spread awareness on the dangers of drunk driving. Also, I will have giveaways at the event for those that donate blood, volunteer, and sign up for ride-share. So, even if you are unable to volunteer or donate, it would be awesome if you could still stop by the event.

I hope we can honor Phoebe and save lives together! I look forward to hopefully seeing you there! Thank you so much!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b48afa923a0f49-volunteer

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b48afa923a0f49-phoebe