On March 3rd, 2023, the Stroudsburg High School National Honor Society (NHS) conducted its own in-house blood drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross!

The school-wide blood drive is a bi-annual event in which students over the age of 16 can choose to donate blood to help those in need of transfusions, such as trauma victims; people with sickle cell anemia; and people battling cancer.

An American Red Cross associate, Sandy Oberholtzer, commented,

“Until you know somebody who needs blood, nobody thinks about donating, but donating your blood can save the lives of so many people. ”

The process to participate was reasonably simple and convenient. First, those over 16 but under 18 had to sign a permission form with their guardian’s signature attached. After the form was filled out, they are able to turn in the form to NHS advisor, Mrs. Maureen Verwey, in room D213. After that, they were given an appointment time to start their donation. Once donation day came, they headed down to the gymnasium where they signed in and waited to be processed.

Once it was their turn, they got their iron levels checked via prick of the finger, to make sure their blood is healthy and ready for withdrawal. Once that was finished, they could start the blood donation where they lay on a table as their blood is withdrawn.

After the donation, they were able to sit down for as long as they’d like to eat snacks and replenish their blood sugar levels. The process was easy and a great and generous act to help those in your community who are in need of assistance.

Following these easy steps assures that your donation will be able to save lives.

If you missed the blood drive but want the chance to participate in the blood drive next year, you can contact Mrs. Maureen Verwey ([email protected]) in D213.

If you are interested in donating blood outside of school, check out the American Red Cross website, because they are always looking for more donors.

Gallery • 2 Photos