Albany High School and Red Cross have been working together for 8 years. Albany High students have learned to give back to their community by donating a pint of blood a few times a year. “There’s a way to help those in need and give back to your community without giving money,” said one of AHS’ staff members running the drive, Ms. Saracene. There are different ways that students can give back to those in need, but donating blood is a vital and often life-saving gift.

Red Cross is a non-profit organization that comes to Albany High School three times every school year: October, January, and May. The most important drive to Red Cross is in January. Ms. Abdul, also a staff member, states, “January is so important because donation is typically low in the winter months. Everyone is usually sick and cannot donate, which is why it’s so important to get as many people as we can.” Most schools only have two drives a year, but due to such a huge population at AHS, there are three. Ms. Abdul and Ms. Saracene have been organizing and running the blood drive since the 2010-2011 school year. “We collected more units of blood last year than ever collected at Albany High before,” says Saracene. Last year’s drive was also recognized by the Board of Education because of such a huge turnout. There have been nearly 120 sign ups since they have taken over, thanks to the help of student recruiters.

Since Ms. Abdul and Ms. Saracene are also involved with the CAS component for the IB program, the blood drive gives those students another opportunity for volunteerism. The students try to get as many sign ups as they can, but some are deferred if they do not meet the requirements needed. There are typically 70 or more units of blood donated at the end of the day.

There are some basic requirements in order to be able to donate. Those include age, weight, levels of iron, as well as being as healthy as possible the day of the drive. Another block to donating blood is if you’ve gotten a tattoo or piercing in the past year. Red Cross also requires answering basic questions about your medical history. “Most questions are general health questions as well as places you’ve visited in order to assure them that your blood can be used,” says Saracene. Basic information about yourself isn’t stored in the system; therefore, every time you donate they ask you the questions.

Donating blood has been a big deal to students; they feel a sense of heroic accomplishment once they’ve donated. “For every person that donates, there are three units of blood to be shared to three different people, so it’s not a one-to-one ratio. You’re really saving more than one life,” says Abdul. Albany High’s goal is to exceed the average amount donated in order to help out as much as possible. Every drive at AHS has had a large percentage of first time donors. “Younger people should get into the habit of donating,” says Abdul. “Even if a small percentage of students become lifelong donors, that’s really going to help Red Cross with the blood supply they need,” says Saracene. Students aren’t the only ones eligible to donate though, staff members are also asked to donate during any free time they have during the day. Abdul and Saracene have thought about asking other people in the community to donate, but are satisfied with the large amount of students and staff that donate.

Staff members and the older population of students are also asked if they would like to do a Double Red Cell (DRC) donation. “DRC’s are whole blood donations that contain red blood cells, platelets, plasma, and white blood cells. The machine separates and collects two units of red cells and then safely returns the remaining blood components along with saline back into your body through the same arm,” says Abdul. There are only three specific types blood needed for a DRC, type O, A negative, and B negative. A DRC donation takes up to an hour as opposed to the pint blood donation, which takes up to 30-40 minutes; including general questions.

Red Cross is always looking for a diverse population to donate, so anyone who meets the requirements is welcome to participate. All the blood donated at the end of the day is then screened for diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. Red Cross sends a donor card to first time donors with their blood type for future donations. Students interested in donating at the AHS blood drive should see Ms. Abdul or MS. Saracene in order to get involved. So many have made the effort to save a life and give back to those that need help, will you?