DEDICATED STUDENT DONORS EARN CBC GRANT
ENGLEWOOD, Ohio – Open appointments and empty beds are hard to come by at a Miami Valley Career Technology Center blood drive. Student donors in the class of 2015 gave blood multiple times during their high school years, helping MVCTC earn a $1,000 High School Leadership Grant from Community Blood Center.
MVCTC received the grant for “Red Cord Excellence,” an indicator of strong student support at multiple blood drives. The class of 2015 had 96 graduates who qualified for the CBC Red Cord Honor Program by registering to donate at least three times during their high school career.
In 2014-15 MVCTC hosted two CBC blood drives and was the top Red Cord Honor School among the 118 high schools in CBC’s 15-county service area.
CBC presented the award to MVCTC Tuesday, Sept. 29 at the first meeting of the HOSA Future Health Professionals, the student organization that sponsors the school blood drives. HOSA Chapter President Ella Madlinger, a senior from Brookville with four lifetime blood donations, announced the grant.
“Our blood drives fill up in a day and the kids are banging on the door to be on the waiting list,” said Med Lab instructor and blood drive coordinator Paula Wathen. “Blood donations touch everyone’s lives and high school students are more aware of the need. They have the desire and are more compassionate than ever before.”
“They have so much more community awareness, which is wonderful,” said Health and Consumer Science Supervisor Ann Patton. “These kids want to give back.”
Wathen said the HOSA students will use part of the grant money for their “Are You Fit to Donate?” program to educate classmates on how to prepare for a successful blood donation. That could encourage more blood drive participation, and even more Red Cord graduates.
“The Red Cord is a motivator,” said Wathen. “They ask, ‘What do I have to do to get that Red Cord?’ They do want that, and it goes with the good experience they have with Community Blood Center. It’s a good relationship.”
CBC annually awards $1,000 High School Leadership grants in five categories for high school blood drive excellence. Butler Tech in Hamilton won a Leadership Grant for “Most Donors.” Spring Valley Academy in Centerville received the grant for “Highest Percentage of Enrollment” participating in school blood drives in 2014-15. Seton Catholic High School in Richmond, Indiana won grants for both “Most Improved” and for “Second Highest Percentage of Enrollment.”
Learn more at www.GivingBlood.org
Connect with Community Blood Center for the latest information and services at www.GivingBlood.org. Get fast and complete answers on how to make your first donation, organize a blood drive, or bring our education program to your school. Get all the updates in the CBC/CTS newsroom, find quick links to our social media pages, or schedule your next appointment to donate by connecting to www.DonorTime.com.
Blood donation requirements: Donors are required to provide a photo ID that includes their full name. Past CBC donors are also asked to bring their CBC donor ID card. Donors must be at least 16 years of age (16 years old with parental consent: form available at www.givingblood.org or at CBC branch & blood drive locations), weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, and be in good physical health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changes blood donor eligibility guidelines periodically. Individuals with eligibility questions are invited to email canidonate@cbccts.org or call 1(800)388-GIVE. Make an appointment at www.DonorTime.com.
Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services® is an independent, not-for-profit organization. Community Blood Center provides blood products to 24 hospitals within a 15-county service area in the Miami (Ohio) and Whitewater (Indiana) Valleys. For more information about Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services®, visit www.givingblood.org.
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