Vitalant, a nonprofit blood donation organization, provides numerous opportunities for people to donate while raising awareness about the critical need for blood donors across the United States.
A student at Carlmont signs up for the blood drive in the quad.
Carlmont’s Associated Student Body (ASB) is rallying students to donate blood at the upcoming blood drive by opening sign-ups from March 18 to March 28.
The blood drive is on April 3 and is hosted by ASB’s Community Service Commission, which is partnering with Vitalant.
“The purpose of blood drives is to help those in need while relying on the support from the student body. It’s an essential part of community service as we strive to bring the Carlmont community together to serve those in need,” said Jasper Patel, a sophomore at Carlmont, and a member of the Community Service Commission in ASB.
“I think it is really cool how you can save someone’s life by only taking a couple of hours out of your day to donate some blood,” said Orion Gurskis, a sophomore at Carlmont.
However, there are some limitations to being able to sign up for blood donations for safety reasons, according to Vania Pala, another member of the Community Service Commission in ASB.
“The donor must be at least 16 years old and there are height and weight requirements to ensure a smooth and safe donation process. Additionally, there are a few medication restrictions that prevent donation, the most common being Accutane,” Pala said.
Being a student-driven event, the blood drive highlights the importance of how students can be supportive and help save lives, according to Roxanne Castillo, a resident of San Mateo.
“I think that donating blood is really important because it also prevents us from having blood clots as well as benefiting the circulation of our blood. I also find it very heartwarming that students can choose to donate blood for other people who might need it,” Castillo said.
