Willow Glen Resident

Education

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Give A Little: Willow Glen High School senior Robby Payne is coordinating the high school blood drive on campus Nov. 8. The Red Cross will have 11 employees at the school during the drive.

A pint can go a long way toward saving someone

By Eli Segall

For high school seniors, the year before college can be a hectic one. With SATs, college applications and preparing to leave home, it's hard to find time for anything extra. Yet a group of Willow Glen High School seniors did.

Senior class officers are coordinating the school's annual blood drive, planned for Nov. 8 at Willow Glen High.

"These seniors are shining examples of what Willow Glen High School students are like," said Melissa Foster, director of student activities for the school. Foster is advising the students and overseeing their efforts.

"They came to me and said they felt strongly about the blood drive and asked if they could run it," she said.

The class officers decided the blood drive would be their major community service project for the semester. Time spent on it counts toward 40 hours of community service required before graduation, a bar set by the San Jose Unified School District.

Robby Paine, a Willow Glen High School senior, is spearheading the drive, which is sponsored by the Red Cross. Class officers Erin Campbell, Rebecca Murday, Kathryn Cremer, Allison Herman and Rebekah Cremer are helping recruit donors and spread public awareness of the event.

"My parents were proud of me when I took this on. Right away, they asked to sign up," Robby said.

Individuals must be at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds to donate blood. Even if these requirements are met, some can't get past a bigger hurdle--fear of needles.

"My incentive is that they can save three lives giving blood," Robby said. "Plus they get out of class. They like that part."

The drive will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the school's mini-gym, located behind the pool.

Skipping class did not factor into Anna Giang's decision to donate blood. The Willow Glen High School senior overcame her fear of needles due to Robby's approach.

"He offered to stand next to me and hold my hand if I needed him to," Anna said. "He's the reason I signed up."

The need for blood donors is great. Mona Helmhold, a Red Cross account manager helping to coordinate the blood drive, said 500 blood transfusions are needed every day in the Santa Clara Valley. Donated blood is used for trauma victims, transplant operations and leukemia and cancer patients.

However, there are not enough donors to meet the need. Last year, the Red Cross required 121,000 units of blood in the Bay Area, yet only 87,000 units came from this region, Helmhold said. The remaining 34,000 units were imported from other parts of the country.

Donating one unit, or one pint, of blood takes about one hour. Donors go through a personal health history and have their blood pressure and iron levels checked. The actual blood drawing takes between 5 and 15 minutes.

Afterward, donors relax for about 15 minutes in "the canteen," as Helmhold calls it. Student volunteers bring food and juice and make sure donors feel strong enough on their feet to leave.

The Red Cross will have 11 employees at the school at all times, including a registered nurse and individuals certified to draw blood.

For more information, call Willow Glen High School at 408.535.6330. For more information on other blood drives, visit www.beadonor.com.