CMHS students give of themselves

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CLARKSVILLE — Twice a year, students at Clinton-Massie High School make an investment in the future when they partner with the Community Blood Center of West Chester in hosting blood drives.

Sponsored by the CMHS Key Club, members Drew Evans and Matthew Hendrickson took the lead in organizing this year’s Fall Blood Drive where 62 prospective donors registered to donate blood. Of that number, 53 were able to donate a unit of whole blood successfully, resulting in a 110 percent of the collection target of 48 units.

According to Billy Roy of the Community Blood Center, every unit of donated blood can save or improve the life of up to three patients. Up to 159 patients will benefit from Clinton-Massie’s students’ generosity.

Of those students who donated, 30 were new donors. Research shows that many of the new donors will continue to donate not only in high school, but throughout their lives, helping to ensure a safe blood supply for many years to come in whatever communities they settle.

Roy complimented the Massie Key Club for organizing the recruitment campaign, ensuring prospective donors made it to their appointments on time and caring for them at the Donor Café before escorting them back to class.

According to Key Club adviser Bill Ryan, the goal of Key Club is to provide services to help individuals and or groups in this area that may be looking for help with their hosting events.

“We want groups to be able to hold events that are successful, and having a dedicated work force is an extremely important part of a successful event,” said Ryan. “The Blood Drive is important because people are in need of blood literally every second of the day. The number of people who would lose their lives if it were not for blood drives is shocking. The Blood Center has told us that as much as 80 percent of a blood bank’s supply comes directly from drives just like ours. Each unit of blood can on to save as many as three lives, and for a little bit of work, and a small amount of discomfort, we think that it’s definitely worth it.”

Clinton-Massie High School will host its next blood drive in the spring of 2017.

Information for this article was provided by Diana Miller, who coordinates communications for several area schools.

Preslee Rolf waves at passersby on their way to make their donations.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2016/11/web1_Blood-Drive-1.jpgPreslee Rolf waves at passersby on their way to make their donations. Courtesy photos

Austin Nichols and Tori Flanigan kick back and relax while supporting the cause.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2016/11/web1_Blood-Drive-2.jpgAustin Nichols and Tori Flanigan kick back and relax while supporting the cause. Courtesy photos

By Diana Miller

For The News Journal

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