American Red Cross Blood Drive

By: Breanna Flores

​Students of Wethersfield High School, Ms. Coco, and the American Red Cross are currently organizing the school’s second blood drive of this school year. The drive will be running from 7:45 to 12:45 in gym B (across from the auditorium) on Wednesday, May 31, which has periods 2, 4, 6, and 8 scheduled.

To get ready, five student coordinators and eighteen volunteers are actively recruiting donors, learning how to run the drive, and getting different restaurants to donate food. During the last drive in December, there were food donations from Subway, Leo’s Pizza, Vito’s Pizza, Village Pizza, and Sophia’s Pizza.

The goal of the blood drive is to get 70 usable pints of blood and to provide a comforting and positive experience to turn high schoolers into lifelong donors. Donors must be 17 years old at the time of donating, must be within the height/weight standards, and if they got a new piercing, the gun used cannot be reusable. Due to the risk of malaria, you can’t donate if you’ve visited certain countries within various time frames. Please check redcrossblood.org for more information on the travel constraints.
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If anyone plans on donating, it is important to take care of their bodies at least 3 days before. Remember to drink plenty of water, eating balanced meals, and getting enough sleep. Not doing any of the this increases the risk of fainting, and can slow the donation process.
As of May 19, registration during lunch waves has closed, but anyone that wants to sign up can see Ms. Coco in room 23, and some walk-ins may be welcome during the drive. Any alumni and family members of current students are also welcomed to donate.