Vital Efforts

Vital Efforts

Teenagers make up one out of every six blood donations in Arizona and those numbers are a direct result of high school blood drives. In fact, teens are Arizona’s largest blood donor group due in large part to the efforts of Vitalant and the High School Blood Drive Challenge. Launched in 1984, the High School Blood Drive Challenge was created to recognize excellence among student blood drive organizers and to inspire Arizona’s youth to create a lifelong pattern of donating blood. Even with the impact of school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, teens prevailed as Arizona’s largest blood donor group. Dysart Schools has been a part of the High School Blood Drive Challenge for more than two decades with participating schools including all four high schools Dysart, Shadow Ridge, Valley Vista, and Willow Canyon as well as Sundown Mountain Alternative Education Program. Schools compete against other schools with a similar number of seniors to earn achievement awards.

Last school year, in spite of school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, students organized 169 blood drives across Arizona providing patients with more than 15,000 lifesaving blood components.

“High school donors play a significant role in keeping our community’s blood supply safe,” shared Greg Wieking, Vitalant Senior Donor Recruitment Representative.

In the 2021-2022 school year, the four participating high schools and Sundown Mountain within the Dysart Unified School District, planned 17 blood drives and hosted nine at the time of this article. Those nine drives yielded 227 donations including 121 first-time donors.

“I donate as I know that this is a way to give back and help others,” said Anna Babler, Blood Drive Sponsor at Shadow Ridge. “My family all donates blood and volunteers within their communities; I was surrounded by this growing up and I think it’s a great message to give to the younger generations. We give to those who need it and we help out where we can. If we have the ability to help, I think we have the expectation to. I think we can all do with doing a little good nowadays.”

By emphasizing community service and focusing on lifesaving activities, the Challenge is unique among other high school programs. Students develop leadership skills as they coordinate blood drives at their school. A healthy dose of competition helps accomplish the life-transforming mission and makes the challenge fun. Each school forms a blood drive committee led by the staff sponsor. Students organize the drives, plan and recruit student, and staff donors leading up to the event.

Jessica Jacobo Naranjo prepares to donate blood at Dysart High School on September 10, 2021 with Macenzi Stoneburner, Vitalant staff member.

“We promote the blood drive in the weeks before through announcements and by talking to students in the classrooms,” said Mya Belton Blood Drive President, from Willow Canyon High School. “We organize the appointments for the day of the drive and come to school early to put any last-minute appointments on the schedule. Our committee checks in students andadult donors, oversees volunteers, and works with Vitalant and Willow Canyon staff to ensure a smooth flow in the day. Students are offered incentives like free ice cream, tickets to local events, and skipping a class period during the donation.”

The blood donation process is simple, straightforward and only takes about an hour aftercompleting the medical screening, actual donation, and post donation refreshments and snacks. An initial finger prick test is performed in order to check hemoglobin levels prior to the donation.

“I hope to make a difference with my donation,” said Brian Schermerhorn, Blood Drive Committee Member at Sundown Mountain. “I want to continue to give away blood to help and aid those who are less fortunate and end up in the hospital.”

Every two seconds someone in the United States receives a blood transfusion. The impact of each donation is measured in moments, second chances and lives transformed. Teens play an integral role in ensuring life-sustaining blood is available whenever and wherever it’s needed. Hosting blood drives empowers students to experience the awe of directly impacting a life and helps them develop valuable leadership and project management skills that will serve them throughout their

“I decided to donate to help others in need and to support students at Sundown Mountain,” shared Tamika Jones, Counselor at Sundown Mountain Alternative Education Program. “As an educator I feel it is important to lead by example and show students different ways of giving back and helping others. Oftentimes people think giving back takes a great deal of time and effort. But donating doesn’t take a great deal of time, and it’s an easy way to help save a life. Donating saved my life. 2016-2017 was the first year I donated blood. I was able to donate three out of four times that year. When the fourth time for donating came, my hemoglobin was low, which is something that had never happened before. I decided to get to my doctor to get checked out. At that time I found out I had cancer. I share that to say donating will not just save the lives of others, but it can save your life as well. I truly feel blessed to be able to donate and will encourage others to donate to help save lives.”

New this year, Vitalant provided a printed report of wellness results for donors including cholesterol reading, hemoglobin level, pulse, and blood pressure data at the time of donation.

For each of those 227 blood donations collected during the initial school drives, 681 lifesaving transfusions were provided for patients in hospitals across the Valley.

Ches Pottle, Dysart High School blood drive committee member gives a thumbs up after donating blood.

“I believe it is important to be part of the Blood Drive Challenge because it is a way to save lives,” said Dawn Parmley, Willow Canyon High School Blood Drive Sponsor. “Some patients are in desperate need of blood and as healthy individuals, we can play a major role in saving or at least improving these lives. Additionally, blood drives are not just a way to earn volunteer hours, but a way for our students to be involved in something positive that impacts our community. What a great feeling to donate time and blood for such a worthy cause!”

Vitalant and the Arizona Diamondbacks partner to offer three $1,000 scholarships to exceptional Arizona student blood drive committee members. Additionally, a 16 to 19 year-old donor will be one of the ten finalists to win a new car this summer. All teen donors who register online and give blood during the “Summer Drive to Save Lives” Campaign are eligible.

Vitalant is the nation’s second largest community blood service provider, supplying comprehensive transfusion medicine services for nearly 1,000 hospitals and health care partners for patients in need across 40 states. Every day, almost 5,000 blood donations are needed to meet the needs of people throughout the country, and Vitalant’s 780,000 donors supply 1.8 million donations a year. In addition to blood products, Vitalant offers customers transfusion services, medical consulting, quality guidance, ongoing education, research and more.

There’s a national blood shortage due to the pandemic.

Upcoming blood drives in the Surprise and El Mirage areas are listed below and are subject to change. For more information or to schedule a donation, visit vitalant.org or call 877-258-4825 (877-25-VITAL).