Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps held a blood drive on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s in the senior lot. The blood drive is a fundraiser for the annual scholarships the club offers certain cadets.
JROTC partnered with OneBlood, an organization that collects blood and distributes it to hospitals in need, to make the drive happen. Before students were able to give blood, nurses checked to make sure students were eligible to donate. The blood will be used for people in need of blood transfusions.
For every unit of blood donated, JROTC received $20, and the program typically awards students with around $1,000 per scholarship. There are six scholarships available to JROTC cadets, with the scholarships going to cadet of the year, battalion commander, key leader, petty, duque and wang.
“Winners are usually those that have been very active in the program; those that participate in our teams and hold leadership positions,” JROTC instructor Mark Anders said.
JROTC had sign ups weeks prior to the event outside the classroom during both A and B lunches. To be able to donate, students had to be 16 years old with parent permission, or 17 years old with an ID. Participants also had to weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and have not recently had the flu, a cold or sore throat.
“I wanted to give back, and it seemed like a great opportunity to sign up and give blood since I know that there's people who need it,” senior Lewis Fernandez said.
On the day of the event, students had to fill out forms before giving blood in the senior lot to make sure that they were eligible to donate. Students who gave blood got pulled out of their silver day classes before the deadline of 2:00 p.m. because of the time needed to donate blood, as well as having to make sure they feel well after.
“I started doing the blood drive a while ago mainly because I felt it was a good need and responsibility to give to those who can’t have the same privileges of having decent blood or they need a blood transfusion because of an accident,” junior Jayden Varillas said. “I thought it was a really good way to give back to the community.”
Students had the option to donate whole blood, platelets or double red blood. The process took around 30-40 minutes per donation, with platelets taking the longest. Students were offered food and drinks before and after donating.
During the blood drive, JROTC members helped sign student blood donors in as well as pass out food and drinks. Students waited to get their blood drawn in a covered waiting area.
“The process of setting up the blood drive starts with connecting with students and staff of MSD,” JROTC leader Carolina Biggers said. “It also starts with connecting with OneBlood and making sure they can come and support our school, helping us raise money for our senior cadets.”
This blood drive was JROTC’s third and last blood drive of the year. The club plans on continuing the blood drive next school year.
