This past Wednesday, November 30th, saw the administration of a Blood Drive here in the MHS Cafeteria from 2:30-7:30pm. Organized by the MHS Red Cross Club, the Drive is the first of two tentatively scheduled for the 2022-2023 school year – and it has already made a record impact.

Historically, Madison High School has been a somewhat frequent destination for local Blood Drives due to the capacity of its facilities to accommodate them. However, the trials of the Covid-19 Pandemic led to these initiatives – and even the Red Cross Club as a whole – to enter into an untimely hiatus. Since, as the organization and others could no longer safely administer such events, a national shortage of blood for medical use began to grip the nation. Finally, though, thanks to the Red Cross Club’s new leadership – coupled with the lifting of Covid-related restrictions – these critical initiatives are once again becoming an established and regular occurrence. This past March saw the first MHS Blood Drive in several years, and achieved great success – collecting enough blood to assist 60 individuals in need.

This success has since emboldened the MHS Red Cross Club to increase its existing itinerary – thus leading to the administration of last week’s Blood Drive. Teacher and student participation at the Drive set an all time high, while deferrals – instances where registrants could not donate due to not passing a required medical screening – were exceptionally low. In total, 33 people over the course of the Drive donated, allowing for the collection of enough blood to assist about 90 people. 

The MHS Red Cross Club is exceedingly grateful for the support it has received from students and the administration, who are instrumental in organizing and ensuring the success of these events. After all, outside of the nurses present to take medical histories and actually collect, the Blood Drive was entirely staffed by student volunteers! The next Blood Drive has yet to be officially scheduled, but leadership has said that they are currently working to secure a date in either April or May of next year. With each Blood Drive, the impact MHS is capable of making on the lives of its greater community is further expanded, and so one can only hope that these initiatives are only taken to greater heights in the years to come.