By: Donyae Trawick

11/27/19

Nearly 21 million people in the U.S. alone need blood transfusions each year. Donating blood can aid in the prevention of treating patients with cancer, chronic anemia, bleeding disorders, and other blood abnormalities. One pint of blood can even save up to three lives!

On Wednesday, November 20, E&S took part in benefiting the community once again by hosting its annual Red Cross Blood Drive! This was an all day event that focused on donating blood in order to help others that need it.

Journalists Donyae Trawick and Aniyah Nesmith have spoken with a few participants to gain insight on the Blood Drive’s experience. They were asked the question of why they even did it in the first place.

“ Why did you decide to give blood in the first place?”

Lydia from 12th grade: 

• “I decided to give blood because you know, it’s helping save lives. People are in need of this for transplants and stuff. You know, I want to help people”.

Derrick from 12th grade: 

• "Because it saves people´s lives. It´s something important. People out there need blood, so why not? It's worth it. Just saving a life, three at that, is just great¨.

Karyn from 12th grade:

• ¨I think sometimes people in America, we take stuff for granted. People really need the stuff we have, that we take for granted. Health is one of them¨.

We also interviewed Ms. Jones and Mr. Taylor-Baranik who hosted the blood drive and assisted participants with food and waivers. Both who were very eager for this day, spoke on the very significance of it. 

• Ms. Jones 

̈ ̈Because it is important for our students to be apart of a service project.. to do something outside the walls of this building! ̈.

Mr. Taylor-Baranik

• ¨And it's also a part of what we want to do in Senior Seminar which is prepare people to be good people after they graduate—good humans. You're not always doing something for a grade, you're doing it because it's the right thing to give back - mostly for seniors out of senior seminar.. that's how we started it last year- or restarted, I should say. Ms. Jones, Ms. Bradley, myself, as well as other teachers, wanted to help seniors have a space to give back like this ̈.

Check out this website below for the fourteen intriguing reasons as to why giving blood to the community is so beneficial!

http://www.carterbloodcare.org/14-reasons-why-you-should-give-blood/