Photo Credit: CHEYENNE PINO
BY LOUIS DENNIN
Cooper City High School had its biannual Blood Drive on November 15, 2013. The event was hosted by Key Club in order to collect blood from donors at the school for patients who desperately need it.
The collected blood goes to “OneBlood,” an organized blood center that supplies blood to over two hundred hospitals. Blood collected at the school will be brought to their lab and then distributed to cancer patients across Broward County. This year’s blood drive collected one hundred and nineteen pints of blood, which is a considerably large amount when put into perspective that a single pint can save the lives of three people. By collecting this much blood, Cooper City High hopes to create a huge impact on the community.
“ The blood collected goes to real people and impacts real lives that might otherwise be lost,” blood drive chairperson Blue Kaufman said. “It’s definitely a lot of work, but in the end I’m getting this satisfaction that is completely invaluable.”
Successful blood drives are not new to Cooper City High School, however. For a few years, CCHS has held the highest donor-to-student ratio in the county, a direct result of students like Kaufman, eager to make a difference in the lives of countless people.
To the students involved, the blood drive is not just a reason to skip class, it’s a way for them to give back to their community as well as to show to people in need that they really care. National blood donations owe 25% of their collections to schools. This means that the student support is crucial to helping patients in need.
“I’ve seen my mom go through some surgeries gone wrong and needed blood transfusions. Hospitals always say they need more blood so it was a pretty simple choice,” donor Marisol Santiago said. “It just makes me feel good knowing that I can do something.”
