For more than two decades, Hamburg Area High School students, staff and administration have been donating blood through school organized donation events. The most recent blood drive was held in the high school student parking lot on Thursday, Feb. 5.
Before the Miller-Keystone blood mobile even parked at the school, 62 students had already signed up to donate. The drive was held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and was open to walk-ins as well as those who signed up earlier.
“I am overwhelmed by the number of students who don’t think twice and sign up to donate,” said Teresa McCarthy, LEO Club advisor. “If they do have a fear of needles or blood, they overcome that because they are so compassionate and know that their blood is needed to help save the lives of so many people. I hear students encouraging each other to donate and tell them it’s not as bad as they think and they are really focusing on helping to save lives.”
In the past, the club has helped to organize two blood drives for each school year taking place in October and May.
“We decided to try a third this year because of the schedule with conferences and the need for blood,” explained McCarthy.
The history of the Hamburg Area High School blood drive was written about in an article for the school paper in 1999 by Beck Carney. According to Carney, the blood drive began when Dr. Lenick received a phone call from the parents of a boy who was in a serious car accident and needed blood. Dr. Lenick then called the blood bank to set up a blood mobile at the school and the boy’s life was saved.
Throughout the morning, students entered one of the two mobiles set up in the student parking lot to take time to give their blood to hopefully save someone’s life.
For some, the act of donating is personal such as one senior who has had the idea of donating instilled in her from the time she was young due to her brother needing blood donations to save his life when he was younger. For others, the act of giving blood is just a way for them to help out when and where they can.
After they were given the okay to leave the mobile, the students headed back to class with a sticker showing their service in helping others.
