The Franklin Red Cross has an upcoming blood drive on Nov. 10, this Wednesday. The donated blood will be going to the American Red Cross, who will then be distributing it to hospitals who are low on their blood supply, or to disaster sites where the Red Cross sets up their relief tents to help victims, as well as to the many vampires in need.
In order to volunteer, one only needs to scan the QR code and fill out the Google form. The QR code can be found on the Franklin Post Instagram @thefranklinpost, on a poster in any of the Franklin hallways, or on the @franklinredcross Instagram page, which is also where you can find the parent/guardian consent form. If you are 16 years old or younger, you will need a parent/guardian’s consent form to be able to give blood; if you are 17 or older though, no parent/guardian consent is needed. Once the consent form is completed, those who want to donate need to email the completed form to the Red Cross Blood Drive Coordinator, Eleanor Courcelle ([email protected]).
The club’s goal is to have at least 63 people donate. Just before their club meeting on the 8th, they reached their goal. The drive will be happening all day in the Auxiliary Gym at Franklin. Donors can choose any A day period during which to attend, and will have a pass written for said period that will excuse them from the classes they will be missing.
If you do choose to give blood, the Vice President of the club, Anabelle Jukkala, stressed the importance of “continuing to hydrate throughout the day to encourage the replenishment of your blood.” She also encouraged eating a good, iron rich meal prior to the period you will be giving blood, and to avoid having any fatty foods beforehand, so you don’t pass out. And that after giving blood, you should eat a sugary snack or drink of some kind to replenish your blood sugar.
One pint of blood can save up to three lives, says Jukkala, and each person who is donating will be giving about one pint. In the United States, a person is in need of a blood donation every two seconds. Those students who donate this Wednesday are contributing to the blood supply needed to support those people.
There will be two other blood drives in the second semester, both in the Auxiliary Gym. One will take place on February 23, 2022, and the other on April 22, 2022.
Link for parent/guardian consent form: https://www.redcrossblood.org/content/dam/redcrossblood/controlled-documents/Parental-Consent-Blood-Donation-EN.pdf
Link for Blood Drive sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpR2ARGxe4H12Pv2NHrIyRCEvD3cm5GDZvQJjXjmAirNG4_A/viewform
