On Wednesday, October 17th, Trion High School hosted its annual blood drive. This blood drive was sponsored by the American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization that provides everything from emergency training to disaster relief  and assistance. Much like previous years, both THS students and staff members were eager to donate their blood to those in need.

This year 46 donors were registered at Trion, leading to the collection of over 45 units total! Account managers with the American Red Cross also reported that 31 first time donors were registered this past wednesday.

In order to participate in the blood drive, students were required to be seventeen years old or above. However if they were sixteen, a signed permission form from a parent or guardian allowed them to participate. Other requirements to donate included the need to have a certain weight to height ratio, fall under a specific iron level, and maintain a pulse under 100 bpm. Despite these strict regulations, which are set to protect both those who receive and those who donate, an impressive amount of students and staff qualified and participated. This fact is extremely important as each donation has the ability to save up to three lives.

Senior Brittany Wallin was a first time donor and had this to say about her first experience: “I was so scared it would hurt because I’m not a huge fan of needles, but it was just a little prick. The whole process was rather quick and didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would.”

Although Trion did not give enough units to qualify for the scholarship, they will be hosting another drive in the spring on May 8th. If students and staff can donate 100 units combined between the two drives, the amount for the scholarship increases to $750.

Participants also received a tee shirt and a cookie as thanks for their life-saving gift. Overall, this blood drive was a huge success, making the Trion community very proud of its students and staff as they contributed to this wonderful cause.

Article by: Bryana Whitaker
THS Journalism Staff