This week, the long standing tradition of St. Dominic’s annual Red Cross blood drive will continue. In the midst of a national blood shortage, the event is more important than ever and a retrospective of what the blood drive entails and how it has changed over the years is in order. 

Every year, the St. Dominic Crusaders who register for the drive, join more than 6.8 million people in the U.S. who donate blood. Every two seconds, someone around the world needs a blood transfusion to save their lives, and statistics show that one pint of blood can save up to three lives. 

St. Dominic promotes the blood drive through email and social media to encourage students to sign up. When the donors arrive the morning of the drive, they are offered a snack and are examined for their weight, blood pressure, and iron levels to make sure they are safe, and fit for donating. The process only lasts fifteen minutes, and the brave Crusader donors receive a free t-shirt.

“I really don’t like needles, so I’m pretty nervous to donate. But I know it’ll be worth it to help people in need,” Junior Raegan Ramponi said. 

Recently, the management of the school’s blood drive has changed hands. Literature teacher Mrs. Goins, was in charge for years, but this will be Mrs. O’Keefe’s first time running the show. She was greatly impressed by the engagement from the students in this year’s event!

“A lot of people tend to sign up last minute, so we’ve got a few slots left. But we’re already more than halfway full,” Mrs. O’Keefe said. 

The blood drive has been an integral event in the St. Dominic community for a very long time. Throughout its history, the drive has seen steady attendance and support from the school.

“They had the blood drive when I was a student at St. Dominic. As the school has grown, so has the number of slots we have available. We always have had good turnouts,” Mrs. Goins said. 

Blood drives are some of the most important charities out there. They save countless lives every day, and St. Dominic should be proud of its willingness to serve the community in such a selfless way.