SMW Blood Drive

By Debbie Jong and Esther Lin

Senior Men and Women (SMW) is hosting its annual blood drive today, Mar. 29. Donors have to be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 lbs, and be in good health at the time of donation to participate in the blood drive. Students are excused from class periods to partake in this yearly blood drive in the North Gym. Parents and teachers are also encouraged to participate.

Unlike previous years, SMW is working in conjunction with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center instead of the American Red Cross this year. After working with Red Cross in the past, SMW decided to try something new this year because "UCLA is known for being good with its blood drives," senior BreeAnn Crofts stated. However, with the change in partners, 16-year-olds are no longer eligible to donate blood. With the best interest of both donors and recipients in mind, this restriction, along with the weight limit, prevents any health repercussions for donors who may not be as stable having a large amount of blood drawn from them. UCLA Blood Drive Representative Deborah Alter assured that with this event, it is possible for AHS students to "wake up as normal people and go to bed heroes." All of the blood donated is going directly to the patients at their hospitals.

The statistics on blood needs are astounding: every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Yet only 38% (or 60%?) of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, and of those, only 8% (or 5%?) actually do so. This means only 3% of the population donate blood, which is all the more reason for eligible people to contribute to this life-saving cause.

The donation process involves several steps. Donors first check-in with SMW members (and other volunteers/Blood & Platelet Center staff?), read the information provided, complete the Donor History Card and return it. After registering, students patiently wait in the rows of seats until called to private booths for confidential interviews and mini physical examinations. Behind the curtains/screens (?), students answer questions about their health history and recent travel locations—all of this to ensure a safe blood collection. Medical historians also review Donor History Cards and take donors’ blood pressure, temperature, pulse, as well as perform a hemoglobin test for anemia. The actual donation takes about ten to fifteen minutes, and is a completely safe and sanitary process. After donating, students are led to a resting area with can enjoy free snacks and drinks (juice and Diddy Riese cookies?) to replenish their energy. In addition, each donor receives a free movie ticket for their heroic act for those in need.

For those who donated today, make sure drink plenty of fluids over the next 24 to 48 hours to restore what fluids you lost during the donation. Also refrain from any strenuous physical activity or exercise, especially if you participate in sports after school.

If you are interested in donating blood, but couldn’t this time around, don’t worry. There are plenty of opportunities for you to participate in this worthy cause, regardless of time of year. You can always set up an individual appointment with the American Red Cross or the UCLA Blood & Platelet Center. You can donate whole blood, also known as red blood, every 56 days—that amounts to six times a year!

A final food for thought: One donation can save up to three lives. If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives!

[will get some quotes from donating students and teachers]

EDIT 1

By Debbie Jong and Esther Lin

Senior Men and Women (SMW) is hosting its annual blood drive today, Mar. 29. Donors have to be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 lbs, and be in good health at the time of donation to participate in the blood drive. Students are excused from class periods to partake in this yearly blood drive in the North Gym. Parents and teachers are also encouraged to participate.

Unlike previous years, SMW is working in conjunction with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center instead of the American Red Cross this year. After working with Red Cross in the past, SMW decided to try something new this year because "UCLA is known for being good with its blood drives," senior BreeAnn Crofts stated. However, with the change in partners, 16-year-olds are no longer eligible to donate blood. With the best interest of both donors and recipients in mind, this restriction, along with the weight limit, prevents any health repercussions for donors who may not be as stable having a large amount of blood drawn from them. UCLA Blood Drive Representative Deborah Alter assured that with this event, it is possible for AHS students to "wake up as normal people and go to bed heroes." All of the blood donated is going directly to the patients at their hospitals.

The statistics on blood needs are astounding: every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Yet only 38% (or 60%?) of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, and of those, only 8% (or 5%?) actually do so. This means only 3% of the population donate blood, which is all the more reason for eligible people to contribute to this life-saving cause.

The donation process involves several steps. Donors first check-in with SMW members (and other volunteers/Blood & Platelet Center staff?), read the information provided, complete the Donor History Card and return it. After registering, students patiently wait in the rows of seats until called to private booths for confidential interviews and mini physical examinations. Behind the curtains/screens (?), students answer questions about their health history and recent travel locations—all of this to ensure a safe blood collection. Medical historians also review Donor History Cards and take donors’ blood pressure, temperature, pulse, as well as perform a hemoglobin test for anemia. The actual donation takes about ten to fifteen minutes, and is a completely safe and sanitary process. After donating, students are led to a resting area with can enjoy free snacks and drinks (juice and Diddy Riese cookies?) to replenish their energy. In addition, each donor receives a free movie ticket for their heroic act for those in need.

For those who donated today, make sure drink plenty of fluids over the next 24 to 48 hours to restore what fluids you lost during the donation. Also refrain from any strenuous physical activity or exercise, especially if you participate in sports after school.

If you are interested in donating blood, but couldn’t this time around, don’t worry. There are plenty of opportunities for you to participate in this worthy cause, regardless of time of year. You can always set up an individual appointment with the American Red Cross or the UCLA Blood & Platelet Center. You can donate whole blood, also known as red blood, every 56 days—that amounts to six times a year!

A final food for thought [change to 'one final thought'- i think it sounds better] : One donation can save up to three lives. If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives!

[will get some quotes from donating students and teachers]

DRAFT 2

[NOTE: I changed everything to past tense now that our GTP date was moved to 3/30!]

Senior Men and Women (SMW) hosted its annual blood drive on Mar. 29. Donors had to be at least 17 years old, at least 110 lbs, and in good health at the time of donation to participate in the blood drive. Students were excused from their classes and herded into the North Gym to make their individual contributions. Parents and teachers were also encouraged to participate.

Unlike previous years, SMW worked in conjunction with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center instead of the American Red Cross this year. After working with Red Cross in the past, SMW decided to try something new this year because "UCLA is known for being good with its blood drives," senior BreeAnn Crofts stated. However, with the change in partners, 16-year-olds were no longer eligible to donate blood. With the best interest of both donors and recipients in mind, this restriction, along with the weight limit, prevents any health repercussions for donors who may not be as stable having a large amount of blood drawn from them. UCLA Blood Drive Representative Deborah Alter assured that with this event, it would be possible for AHS students to "wake up as normal people and go to bed heroes." All of the blood donated will go directly to the patients at their hospitals.

"We are honored to work with UCLA this year," senior Nathan Young said. "Their contributions to medical research and advancement are in [or at?] the top of the nation. It feels great to be a part of their efforts," he added.

The statistics on blood needs are astounding: every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Yet only 38% (or 60%?) of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, and of those, only 8% (or 5%?) actually do so. This means only 3% of the population donate blood, which is all the more reason for eligible people to contribute to this life-saving cause.

Students' motivation for donated varied. Senior Phillip Tran explained, "Knowing that there is someone out there who might have been seconds away from dying, was saved just because of my decision to donate blood makes me want to donate."

The donation process at the SMW blood drive involved several steps. Donors first checked in with SMW members (and other volunteers/Blood & Platelet Center staff?), read the information provided, completed the Donor History Card and returned it. After registering, students patiently waited in the rows of seats until called to private booths for confidential interviews and mini physical examinations. Behind the curtains/screens (?), students answered questions about their health history and recent travel locations—all of this was to ensure a safe blood collection. Medical historians also reviewed Donor History Cards and took donors’ blood pressure, temperature, pulse, as well as performed a hemoglobin test for anemia. The actual donation took about ten to fifteen minutes for each person, and was a completely safe and sanitary process. After donating, students were led to a resting area and could enjoy free snacks and drinks (juice and Diddy Riese cookies?) to replenish their energy. In addition, each donor received a free movie ticket for their generous and selfless contribution.

[For those who donated, make sure drink plenty of fluids over the next 24 to 48 hours to restore what fluids you lost during the donation. Also refrain from any strenuous physical activity or exercise, especially if you participate in sports after school.] <--I guess this part is no longer needed then? Since we distribute two days after the drive now...

If you are interested in donating blood, but couldn’t this time around, don’t worry. There are still plenty of opportunities for you to participate in this worthy cause, regardless of time of year. You can always set up an individual appointment with the American Red Cross or the UCLA Blood & Platelet Center. You can donate whole blood, also known as red blood, every 56 days—that amounts to six times a year!

One final thought : One donation can save up to three lives. If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives!

[NOTE: some information is tentative. I'll keep adding quotes we get from people, and eventually finalize it on 3/29, after the event actually takes place ]

EDIT 2

DRAFT 2

[NOTE: I changed everything to past tense now that our GTP date was moved to 3/30!]

Senior Men and Women (SMW) hosted its annual blood drive on Mar. 29. Donors had to be at least 17 years old, at least 110 lbs, and in good health at the time of donation to participate in the blood drive. Students were excused from their classes and herded into the North Gym to make their individual contributions. Parents and teachers were also encouraged to participate.

Unlike previous years, SMW worked in conjunction with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center instead of the American Red Cross this year. After working with Red Cross in the past, SMW decided to try something new this year because "UCLA is known for being good with its blood drives," senior BreeAnn Crofts stated. However, with the change in partners, 16-year-olds were no longer eligible to donate blood. With the best interest of both donors and recipients in mind, this restriction, along with the weight limit, prevents any health repercussions for donors who may not be as stable having a large amount of blood drawn from them. UCLA Blood Drive Representative Deborah Alter assured that with this event, it would be possible for AHS students to "wake up as normal people and go to bed heroes." All of the blood donated will go directly to the patients at their hospitals.

"We are honored to work with UCLA this year," senior Nathan Young said. "Their contributions to medical research and advancement are in [or at?] the top of the nation. It feels great to be a part of their efforts," he added.

The statistics on blood needs are astounding: every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Yet only 38% (or 60%?) of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, and of those, only 8% (or 5%?) actually do so. This means only 3% of the population donate blood, which is all the more reason for eligible people to contribute to this life-saving cause.

Students' motivation for donated varied. Senior Phillip Tran explained, "Knowing that there is someone out there who might have been seconds away from dying, was saved just because of my decision to donate blood makes me want to donate."

The donation process at the SMW blood drive involved several steps. Donors first checked in with SMW members (and other volunteers/Blood & Platelet Center staff?), read the information provided, completed the Donor History Card and returned it. After registering, students patiently waited in the rows of seats until called to private booths for confidential interviews and mini physical examinations. Behind the curtains/screens (?), students answered questions about their health history and recent travel locations—all of this was to ensure a safe blood collection. Medical historians also reviewed Donor History Cards and took donors’ blood pressure, temperature, pulse, as well as performed a hemoglobin test for anemia. The actual donation took about ten to fifteen minutes for each person, and was a completely safe and sanitary process. After donating, students were led to a resting area and could enjoy free snacks and drinks (juice and Diddy Riese cookies?) to replenish their energy. In addition, each donor received a free movie ticket for their generous and selfless contribution.

[For those who donated, make sure drink plenty of fluids over the next 24 to 48 hours to restore what fluids you lost during the donation. Also refrain from any strenuous physical activity or exercise, especially if you participate in sports after school.] <--I guess this part is no longer needed then? Since we distribute two days after the drive now...

If you are interested in donating blood, but couldn’t this time around, don’t worry. There are still plenty of opportunities for you to participate in this worthy cause, regardless of [insert 'the'] time of year. You can always set up an individual appointment with the American Red Cross or the UCLA Blood & Platelet Center. You can donate whole blood, also known as red blood, every 56 days—that amounts to six times a year!

One final thought [delete this space] : One donation can save up to three lives. If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives!

[NOTE: some information is tentative. I'll keep adding quotes we get from people, and eventually finalize it on 3/29, after the event actually takes place ]

EDIT 3

Senior Men and Women (SMW) hosted its annual blood drive on Mar. 29. Donors had to be at least 17 years old, at least 110 lbs, and in good health at the time of donation to participate in the blood drive. Students were excused from their classes and herded into the North Gym to make their individual contributions. Parents and teachers were also encouraged to participate.

Unlike previous years, SMW worked in conjunction with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center instead of the American Red Cross this year. After working with Red Cross in the past, SMW decided to try something new this year because "UCLA is known for being good with its blood drives," senior BreeAnn Crofts stated. However, with the change in partners, 16-year-olds were no longer eligible to donate blood. With the best interest of both donors and recipients in mind, this restriction, along with the weight limit, prevents any health repercussions for donors who may not be as stable having a large amount of blood drawn from them. UCLA Blood Drive Representative Deborah Alter assured that with this event, it would be possible for AHS students to "wake up as normal people and go to bed heroes." All of the blood donated will go directly to the patients at their hospitals.

"We are honored to work with UCLA this year," senior Nathan Young said. "Their contributions to medical research and advancement are in [or at?] the top of the nation. It feels great to be a part of their efforts," he added.

The statistics on blood needs are astounding: every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Yet only 38% (or 60%?) of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, and of those, only 8% (or 5%?) actually do so. This means only 3% of the population donate blood, which is all the more reason for eligible people to contribute to this life-saving cause.

Students' motivation for donated varied. Senior Phillip Tran explained, "Knowing that there is someone out there who might have been seconds away from dying, was saved just because of my decision to donate blood makes me want to donate."

The donation process at the SMW blood drive involved several steps. Donors first checked in with SMW members (and other volunteers/Blood & Platelet Center staff?), read the information provided, completed the Donor History Card and returned it. After registering, students patiently waited in the rows of seats until called to private booths for confidential interviews and mini physical examinations. Behind the curtains/screens (?), students answered questions about their health history and recent travel locations—all of this was to ensure a safe blood collection. Medical historians also reviewed Donor History Cards and took donors’ blood pressure, temperature, pulse, as well as performed a hemoglobin test for anemia. The actual donation took about ten to fifteen minutes for each person, and was a completely safe and sanitary process. After donating, students were led to a resting area and could enjoy free snacks and drinks (juice and Diddy Riese cookies?) to replenish their energy. In addition, each donor received a free movie ticket for their generous and selfless contribution.

[For those who donated, make sure drink plenty of fluids over the next 24 to 48 hours to restore what fluids you lost during the donation. Also refrain from any strenuous physical activity or exercise, especially if you participate in sports after school.] <--I guess this part is no longer needed then? Since we distribute two days after the drive now...

If you are interested in donating blood, but couldn’t this time around, don’t worry. There are still plenty of opportunities for you to participate in this worthy cause, regardless of the time of year. You can always set up an individual appointment with the American Red Cross or the UCLA Blood & Platelet Center. You can donate whole blood, also known as red blood, every 56 days—that amounts to six times a year!

One final thought: One donation can save up to three lives. If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives!

[NOTE: some information is tentative. I'll keep adding quotes we get from people, and eventually finalize it on 3/29, after the event actually takes place ]

EDIT 3

Senior Men and Women (SMW) hosted its annual blood drive on Mar. 29. Donors had to be at least 17 years old, at least 110 lbs, and in good health at the time of donation to participate in the blood drive. Students were excused from their classes and herded into the North Gym to make their individual contributions. Parents and teachers were also encouraged to participate.

Unlike previous years, SMW worked in conjunction with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center instead of the American Red Cross this year. After working with Red Cross in the past, SMW decided to try something new this year because "UCLA is known for being good with its blood drives," senior BreeAnn Crofts stated. However, with the change in partners, 16-year-olds were no longer eligible to donate blood. With the best interest of both donors and recipients in mind, this restriction, along with the weight limit, prevents any health repercussions for donors who may not be as stable having a large amount of blood drawn from them. UCLA Blood Drive Representative Deborah Alter assured that with this event, it would be possible for AHS students to "wake up as normal people and go to bed heroes." All of the blood donated will go directly to the patients at their hospitals.

"We are honored to work with UCLA this year," senior Nathan Young said. "Their contributions to medical research and advancement are in [or at?] the top of the nation. It feels great to be a part of their efforts," he added.

The statistics on blood needs are astounding: every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Yet only 38% (or 60%?) of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, and of those, only 8% (or 5%?) actually do so. This means only 3% of the population donate blood, which is all the more reason for eligible people to contribute to this life-saving cause.

Students' motivation for donated varied. Senior Phillip Tran explained, "Knowing that there is someone out there who might have been seconds away from dying, was saved just because of my decision to donate blood makes me want to donate."

The donation process at the SMW blood drive involved several steps. Donors first checked in with SMW members (and other volunteers/Blood & Platelet Center staff?), read the information provided, completed the Donor History Card and returned it. After registering, students patiently waited in the rows of seats until called to private booths for confidential interviews and mini physical examinations. Behind the curtains/screens (?), students answered questions about their health history and recent travel locations—all of this was to ensure a safe blood collection. Medical historians also reviewed Donor History Cards and took donors’ blood pressure, temperature, pulse, as well as performed a hemoglobin test for anemia. The actual donation took about ten to fifteen minutes for each person, and was a completely safe and sanitary process. After donating, students were led to a resting area and could enjoy free snacks and drinks (juice and Diddy Riese cookies?) to replenish their energy. In addition, each donor received a free movie ticket for their generous and selfless contribution.

[For those who donated, make sure drink plenty of fluids over the next 24 to 48 hours to restore what fluids you lost during the donation. Also refrain from any strenuous physical activity or exercise, especially if you participate in sports after school.] <--I guess this part is no longer needed then? Since we distribute two days after the drive now...

If you are interested in donating blood, but couldn’t this time around, don’t worry. There are still plenty of opportunities for you to participate in this worthy cause, regardless of the time of year. You can always set up an individual appointment with the American Red Cross or the UCLA Blood & Platelet Center. You can donate whole blood, also known as red blood, every 56 days—that amounts to six times a year!

One final thought: One donation can save up to three lives. If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives!

[NOTE: some information is tentative. I'll keep adding quotes we get from people, and eventually finalize it on 3/29, after the event actually takes place ]

[ everything looks great, just make sure to confirm the percentages mentioned in the 4th paragraph(: ]

Senior Men and Women (SMW) hosted its annual blood drive on Monday, Mar. 29. Donors had to be at least 17 years old, 110 lbs, and in good health to participate in the blood drive. Students were excused from their classes and headed to the North Gym to make their contributions. Parents and teachers were also encouraged to participate.
Unlike previous years, SMW worked with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center instead of the American Red Cross. After working with the Red Cross in the past, SMW decided to try something new this year because “UCLA is known for being good with its blood drives,” senior BreeAnn Crofts stated. However, because of the change in partners, 16-year-olds were no longer eligible to donate blood. With the best interest of both donors and recipients in mind, this restriction, along with the weight limit, prevents any health repercussions for donors who may not be as stable after having a large amount of blood drawn. UCLA Blood Drive Representative Deborah Alter assured that with this event, it would be possible for AHS students to “wake up as normal people and go to bed heroes.” All of the blood donated will go directly to the patients at their hospitals.
“We are honored to work with UCLA this year,” senior Nathan Young said. “Their contributions to medical research and advancement are at the top of the nation. It feels great to be a part of their efforts,” he added.
The statistics on blood demand are astounding: every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, yet only 38% of the population is eligible to donate. Of those, only 5% actually do so. This means only 3% of the population donate blood, which is all the more reason for eligible people to contribute to this life-saving cause.
Students’ motivations for donating varied. Senior Phillip Tran explained, “Knowing that there is someone out there who might have been seconds away from dying was saved just because of my decision to donate blood makes me want to donate.”
The donation process at the SMW blood drive involved several steps. Donors first checked in with SMW members and Blood andPlatelet Center staff, read the information provided, and completed the Donor History Card. After registering, students patiently waited until called to private booths for confidential interviews about their medical histories and brief physical examinations. The actual donation took about ten to fifteen minutes, and was a completely safe and sanitary process. After donating, students were led to a resting area and could enjoy free snacks and drinks to replenish their energy. In addition, each donor received a free movie ticket for their generous and selfless contribution.
If you are interested in donating blood, but could not do so this time around, do not worry. There are still plenty of opportunities to participate in this worthy cause, regardless of the time of year. You can always set up an individual appointment with the American Red Cross or the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center. You can donate blood every 56 days—that amounts to six times a year!
One final thought: one donation can save up to three lives. If you begin donating blood at age 17 and donate every 56 days until you reach 76, you will have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives!

djong@apachepowwow.com
elin@apachepowwow.com

Senior Men and Women (SMW) hosted its annual blood drive on Mar. 29. Donors had to be at least 17 years old, 110 lbs, and in good health to participate in the blood drive. Donating students left their classrooms at their designated appointment times and headed to the North Gym to make their contributions. Parents and teachers were also encouraged to participate.

While SMW worked with the American Red Cross in the past, the service group partnered up with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center this year because“UCLA is known for being good with its blood drives,” senior BreeAnn Crofts stated. However, because of this change in partnership, 16-year-olds were no longer eligible to contribute. UCLA implemented the higher weight and age requirements to avoid possible health repercussions for donors who may not be able to handle having one pint of blood drawn from their bodies. UCLA Blood Drive Community Liaison Deborah Alter noted that this special event enabled AHS students to“wake up as normal people and go to bed heroes.” All of the blood donated goes directly to the patients at UCLA hospitals.

“We are honored to work with UCLA this year,” senior Nathan Young said. “Their contributions to medical research and advancement are at the top of the nation. It feels great to be a part of their efforts,” he added.

The statistics on blood demand are astounding: every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, yet only 38% of the population is eligible to donate. Of those, only 5% actually do so. This means only 3% of the population donate blood, which is all the more reason for eligible people to contribute to this life-saving cause.

Students’ motivations for donating varied. Senior Phillip Tran explained, “Knowing that someone out there who might have been seconds away from dying was saved because of my decision to donate blood makes me want to donate.”

The donation process at the SMW blood drive involved several steps. Donors first checked in with SMW members, read the educational materials provided, and then completed a questionnaire. After registering, they waited patiently until called to private booths for confidential interviews and brief physical examinations. The actual blood donation took about ten to fifteen minutes, and was a completely safe and sanitary process. After donating, students relaxed in the nearby resting area and enjoyed free Crustables, Diddy Riese cookies, and fruit juices to replenish their energy. Each donor also received a free Silver Experience movie ticket for his or her generous contribution.

If you are interested in donating blood, but could not do so this time around, do not worry. There are plenty of opportunities to participate in this worthy cause, regardless of the time of year. You can always set up an individual appointment with the American Red Cross or the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center.

One final thought: one donation can save up to three lives. You can donate blood every 56 days. If you begin donating blood at age 17 and donate every 56 days until you reach age 76, you will have donated 48 gallons of blood and potentially helped save more than 1,000 lives!