AHS’ Red Cross Takes a Shot at Blood Drive Goal

JACQUELYN LOI
Staff Writer

On March 6, AHS’ Red Cross, along with Key Club, is hosting a blood drive in the Small Gym. The club is a branch of the American National Red Cross, a humanitarian organization that provides care to those in need, according to the Red Cross website. Members of Red Cross share a mission of preventing and relieving suffering all around the world.

One of the key service areas of Red Cross is blood donations, which are one of the largest suppliers of blood and blood products in America.

“The American Red Cross provides blood products for many hospitals on a constant basis. The blood drive allows for us to gather large amounts of blood donations so that we may assist the hospitals and their patients that may need it,” Red Cross President Bowen Xie said.

Last semester, Alhambra’s Red Cross had collected 148 pints of blood, and they intend to surpass that amount at the upcoming blood drive. AHS’ Red Cross hopes to beat San Gabriel, who has challenged them to a pint collection competition.

“This semester, we hope to at least get 250 pints to beat San Gabriel. The blood drive will be larger because more juniors will be eligible to draw blood. […] We also have been advertising outside of school this semester so we can get more adults this time,” Red Cross advisor Debora Blais said.

Despite the underlying competition, Red Cross members aim to spread awareness about disaster preparation and safety.

“The Red Cross club aspires to continue to provide youth volunteers that can lend their hands to the American Red Cross and spread their message about preparedness and disaster safety,” Xie said.