Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps is hosting a blood drive on Sept. 28 in the senior lot.

This event will be held from 7:40 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Students are eligible to participate if they are at least 16 years of age and weigh at least 110 lbs, and they must not be sick or have recently been sick.

Students who fill out the required forms can be pulled by JROTC volunteers from their desired non-instructional class to donate blood. They will be taken to the OneBlood bus in the senior lot, where they will be screened. If they pass the screening, they get to donate blood, and are given food and refreshments to continue back to class.

The bus is provided by OneBlood, is a blood donation center that distributes blood buses, and through that allows other schools and businesses such as JROTC to run blood drives.

This blood donation is crucial to people with severe injuries and diseases to receive blood. According to the American Red Cross, “every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.”

Last year, JROTC had about 250 students from MSD donate to the blood drive. This year they hope to double that.

“We host a blood drive every year as a service to the community,” JROTC teacher LTC Mark Anders said. “Every day, every pint of blood that is donated saves at least three lives.”

The required forms will be distributed at the JROTC table in the courtyard during both lunches. Sign ups are available until Sept. 28.