At St. Charles West the blood drive has been a yearly tradition for quite some time. Run by the Key Club it was held this year on Friday, October 8th.
According to redcrossblood.org, this current year, the American Red Cross is facing an emergency blood shortage. As of July, 2024 the blood supply has declined by 25%. Therefore it is vital to hold blood drives, and encourage those able to donate blood. 
The Key Club, sponsored by Mrs. Weil, organizes the blood drive once a year. The students are out of class to donate their blood to the American Red Cross. Students who donate must be 16+, with parental permission. Permission is not needed if they are 17 or older.These donations are incredibly helpful to the Red Cross organization, and help save so many lives, and help the current blood supply.
In previous years, Key Club has had around 4o donors. This year the club had a goal, for this Blood Drive to be inclusive to those outside the school district. They advertised using a QR code, and sign up links to get outside involvement, and grow the amount of donors.
Before donating, there are a few tips and tricks to stay safe and healthy throughout. Some being to make sure to get plenty of sleep, eat a healthy meal, drink plenty of water, and make sure any and all medication will not prevent you from donating. Sometimes donating blood can affect your iron levels, so it is incredibly important to eat foods rich in iron and vitamin C before and after donating!
Though donating blood through our school district is accessible, if you’re unavailable for the Blood Drive, or want to donate again in the future, there are blood drives outside the school as well. If you’re ever interested in donating again, or volunteering just go online to Redcross.org, and it will give you many options for volunteering, donating, and even taking classes to get trained in emergency medicine.
