On April 1, the Future Business Leaders of America, FBLA, hosted their annual blood drive for the first time in two years in the library. COVID-19 prevented FBLA from hosting the blood drive immediately following the pandemic, but the group was  determined to bring back this unique opportunity to unite the community while also saving lives. 

When planning the blood drive, the FBLA executive board officers worked closely with business education teacher and FBLA sponsor Roxana Cromwell. “As project manager of FBLA, I helped arrange appointment cards, managed the front check-in table, coordinated runners, and assisted Inova with any other impending tasks,” senior Ananya Manikandan said. “FBLA has been a great journey for the past two years, so being able to take leadership and initiative in something that is associated with positive health outcomes was important to me.”

The FBLA officers also worked to ensure that the donor requirements were communicated to the public for a safe donating experience. Some of the requirements include being at least 16 years old, weighing over 115 pounds, and having your parents’ permission. “You have to make sure you eat right and hydrate well a few days before donating,” Cromwell said. “It’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the requirements. Being prepared is the best route.”

Student donors found that the blood drive was run smoothly and efficiently. “The people checking you in were nice and it was well organized,” junior Bella Nguyen, who volunteered as a blood donor, said. “There were a lot of snacks and if anyone felt uncomfortable or nauseous, they had the correct procedures ready. FBLA really did an amazing job.”

Junior Emily Lam, who also volunteered to be a donor, was motivated by the idea of potentially saving a life. “I think the idea of being able to help someone who needs blood was inspiring,” Lam said. “I was really happy and excited to donate blood.”

The students weren’t the only ones that volunteered as blood donors. Many staff members, including social studies teacher Steven Mobley, helped contribute to saving lives. “I donated double the amount of blood, but I felt pretty calm throughout,” Mobley said.

Not only was Mobley able to donate blood himself, but he also encouraged his students to donate. “I tell my students I enjoy giving blood, because it’s needed in hospitals and all across the country,” Mobley said. “Blood is something that can’t be replicated or created somewhere, so I feel like when given the chance, people should donate.”

Some students, such as senior Humza Uddin, were able to overcome their fears in order to donate blood. “I do not like needles at all; however, I knew it was for a good cause,” Uddin said. “I ended up donating double the amount of blood since I knew a lot of people wanted to donate but were not able to. I figured I had to cover for at least one of them.”

Even students that were not able to sign up and become donors in time for the event were inspired by the success of the blood drive. “Although I didn’t donate blood, the blood drive inspired me to be aware that not everyone is as lucky as me,” senior Brandon Manivong said. “However, I can do my part in helping my community out by donating blood.”

FBLA volunteers recognized that the blood drive was a great success and have even started to plan on how to make next year’s blood drive even better. “As an FBLA officer and volunteer, I think we did a great job. We exceeded our donation goal by 44% as well as had 56 qualified donors give blood,” junior Meghna Sudheer said. “For next year, I would say we could campaign the blood drive even more by mentioning it on the announcements or even the weekly email to parents.” 

Junior Aniketh Dasika, who served as a blood drive volunteer, has also started to set various goals for next year’s blood drive. “I feel like the blood drive was amazing. The only thing I would like to see as a change for next year is more donors,” Dasika said. 

Next year, Cromwell strives to make the blood drive even bigger and include the community. “We didn’t do much with the community this year because this is our first blood drive in two years and we’re still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cromwell said. “Next year, we may be able to communicate to the community and expand the blood drive. It’d also be nice to partner with other high schools and make Rock Ridge High School a central location.”

Another one of Cromwell’s goals for the blood drive is to make the event seasonal. “It’d be nice to do a blood drive in the fall and then one in the spring,” Cromwell said. “There are always opportunities to improve, make the event larger, and really impress upon others outside of the Rock Ridge community.” 

FBLA plans to continue hosting the blood drive event in the coming years.