DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. - The American Red Cross held a blood drive in the Sonoran Science Academy gym, Oct. 24, 2013.
The blood drive was hosted by the school’s National Honor Society in coordination with the ARC.
The NHS members were contacted after they submitted a blood drive request to the ARC for a volunteer service project.
“This was their first service project of the year, and I hope they gained leadership and organizational skills for future events like this,” said Debbie Sloan, NHS adviser and instructional support teacher at SSA.
The ARC normally allows six weeks to plan a blood drive, but after another location was unable to hold the event, the NHS members were able to organize it in just six days.
“Our goal was to get at least 30 pints of blood,” said Mariné Blasini, NHS vice president and a junior at SSA.
According to the ARC, just one pint of blood can save up to three lives.
By the end of the day, the ARC collected 40 pints of blood, potentially saving 30 more lives than their initial goal.
“There are hospitals already expecting the blood collected from our drive,” said Amanda Sloan, NHS president and a senior at SSA.