Blood drive response borders on anemic
Staff writer
A blood drive Thursday at Peabody-Burns High School’s gym drew a trickle of county residents.
Participants could sign up for a standard or a “Power Red” donation, which allowed for two pints (referred to as “units”) of blood cells to be taken while plasma and platelets were returned to the body.
A standard donation is one unit of blood.
National Honor Society students helped promote and organize the event. Red Cross nurses were responsible for taking blood. The Red Cross provides money for Honor Society scholarships for every unit of blood donated.
“So far today, we’ve had kind of a poor turnout,” art teacher and Honor Society advisor Heidi Hittle said. “Not like our usual ones.”
The blood drive lasted from morning to early afternoon.
Students, faculty members, and senior citizens made up the majority of donors.
“People complain it’s during the day and they work,” Hittle said. “But to have my kids come back at nighttime, after they’ve been in school all day, and after I’ve worked all day, that’s one of those hard things, too.”
The blood drive pulled in 23 units, passing the school’s goal of 20. Hittle had hoped to reach the maximum of 36 units and earn the top amount of scholarship money.
“There’s definitely a generational rift,” a Red Cross nurse who requested anonymity said. “A lot of older people donate. Part of that is because they’re retired and they have time to. Most of our drives are during the work week. But it seems like younger people aren’t really inclined to do it as much. I think the Red Cross needs to do better marketing.”
The next blood drive planned at the high school is July 15.