Did you know that every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood? Pinecrest’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) saw this need and acted accordingly. On October 25, 2017 the FBLA hosted a blood drive in the auxiliary gym.

 

The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas (CBCC) receives blood from the community to give it back to the community. All of the blood that was donated during the blood drive goes right to the local hospitals.

 

“The blood drive is a great way to give back to our community and help those in need,” said senior Katelynne Horton.

 

In order to give blood, the donor has to be sixteen years of age or older. If the donor is sixteen, they must get their parents to sign a permission form. The donor also must be at least 120 lbs. to give  blood. The students had to sign up prior to the event and their appointments lasted roughly around an hour.

 

Before the students donated, they had to check in. After they checked in, they were given a list of questions and information that they needed to read and have knowledge of. They were then checked in by showing a form of ID. After the student checked in, the students will proceed to check their weight and blood levels. After they donated, they were asked to sit for ten minutes and eat something for safety precautions.  

 

“I think the blood drive was very well organized and well put together,” said senior Kennedy Hepfner.

 

After the donors were done giving blood, they had snack options. The snacks offered included: Cheese-Its, potato chips, crackers, Subway sandwiches, Gatorade, water, Sprite, or Coke. After giving blood, they sat and enjoyed snacks and talking to their peers.

 

The blood drive impacted the community through giving blood to those who have cancer, sickle cell disease, and organ transplants.

 

According to the CBCC website, “CBCC is the primary blood supplier to twenty-seven regional hospitals including the Carolinas Heathcare system, the Blue Ridge Healthcare system and more.” The CBCC vision is to build and strengthen the bonds of our community.