Bonfils Blood Center took their annual trip back to Eaglecrest on Monday, November 20th. This is yearly event put together by the Key Club to encourage students to donate blood through the High School Heroes program.

    The president of the Key Club, senior Lexi King, explains how the whole process works–and how the members ready themselves to take it on.

    “Our sponsor Gale Hume sends kids from Key Club, usually the President or the Vice President, to this whole day event at the Bonfils Blood Center to learn how to put on a blood drive,” she explained, “they give us all the materials and then we bring it all back here and put it all together, start advertising, and putting signs up everywhere.”

    The process of donating blood can take on average from 45 to 90 minutes. The reason for this lengthy period is the precautions that must be taken before actually giving blood. This means reading multiple safety pamphlets and answering preventative questions ranging from “Are you over 110 pounds?” to “Have you been out of the United States/Canada in the past year?” to “Are you taking Accutane or another acne medication?”

    Many students signed up for different time slots during the day, but the event allowed for walk-ins as well. Although some students have specific reasons to donate, the most general one given was simply to give back to the community.

    Senior Mackinzee Alvarado claims it was to be “A part of something bigger.” Students and teachers were signed up for all parts of the day and many walked in as well. It was encouraging to see all of Eaglecrest joining together for the greater good.

    It was Senior Kalliyah DeJesus first time giving blood and it won’t be her last,  “I think it’s important to donate blood because you’re really saving lives,” she said.

    Giving blood is an easily accessible way to change countless people’s lives in ways that you can hardly imagine. Phlebotomist Rachelle Monge has seen the effects it has on people’s lives first hand working at Bonfils Blood Center.

    “I had a guy come in, I was pretty new I think I had only been here six months or something, and this guy came in- he was kind of not really talkative, pretty stoich,” said Monge, “We got to talking and his son had died a couple years ago- and he had to have a lot of transfusions because he had cancer. By the end of it we ended up just hugging and crying. It was the first time I saw someone come in for a specific reason.”

    The workers at Bonfil understand it can be hard to come in, whether it be fear of needles or blood, but they appreciate everyone that makes the effort. The program is facilitated by Kathy Nesbitt and has been very successful with 110 high schools participating and 10% of all of the center’s blood coming from them. Nesbitt has seen the huge effects of the Blood Center’s efforts.

    “We are part of a big blood system: a number of little blood centers like us that all form together and so we did send blood out for the shooting in Vegas, Houston, and for Florida,” she said.