Red Cross Blood Drive

By OSCAR BURNES ‘21

Whether you hate needles going into your arm or you just don’t have time, there are many reasons why one would not want to give blood. However, the reality is that virtually none of those reasons outweigh the benefits of donating blood. Simply put, it saves lives. 

On Tuesday, March 3rd, the Community Engagement board is hosting its annual Red Cross blood drive from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM in Wigg Hall. There can be up to 15 students per twenty-minute slot of the blood drive. And even though the drive is held at Milton Academy, it is open to the community. The Community Engagement office puts up fliers around Milton so that the town’s residents come to help as well. 

Before drawing blood, nurses from the Red Cross will perform a mini-physical to determine if the donor is able to give blood. To make for a more comfortable experience, you can listen to music, talk with friends, or just relax during the procedure. For recovery and blood pressure management afterwards, pizza, cookies, and juice will be available for donors in Wigg. Afterwards, once the Red Cross receives the donated blood, they process and test it in their labs before sorting based on blood type. Then, when hospitals are in need of blood, the Red Cross sends out the donations for transfusions that save lives. Just one pint of blood can save up to three people, according to the Red Cross. 

According to Ms. Geyling-Moore, this annual blood drive has been going on since before she started at Milton 28 years ago, so it’s hard to know who started it. However, it was most likely Milton’s Community Engagement Office. With roughly three decades of donations, Milton has no doubt made a significant difference. 

However, out of the 800 students in Milton, only a fraction choose to donate blood each year. It may seem like a scary process, but according to Samantha Bateman (I), the head of Community Engagement, “It’s completely fine for most people that [donate].” Some important restrictions do exist: donors must be at least 16 years old, have a permission slip, and be of a certain weight and height. While one person’s blood donation may seem trivial, every contribution counts. Each donor may save a life by giving just one hour, so head to the Forbes sign-ups and find a time to donate!