On Thursday, April 10th, students and staff at Hidden Valley High School came together to support the community by partnering with the Red Cross and hosting a local blood drive. Held in the auxiliary gym, the drive saw lots of donors of all ages, both teachers and students, and made a large impact on the community.

Leading up to this event, tables and posters were set up to encourage student and faculty participation. In fact, Hidden Valley students were also involved in the planning and carrying out of the event. One student, Audrey Pearson (12), commented, “Organizing the drive was stressful but the stress was worth it because it was for a good cause. I had to meet with the Red Cross organizer 3 times outside of school to set everything up and on the day of, it was up to me and my co-organizer to run it safely and efficiently.”

Many other students were also involved in planning. which helped both the school and the Red Cross run things more easily and make a large and lasting impact.

According to the Red Cross, each pint of blood collected can help save up to three lives, and with the turnout, Hidden Valley was able to impact many lives. Additionally, drives can help create more awareness about the need for blood donations and easy opportunities to give back.

Pearson commented on the impact, saying, “It benefits the environment by making sure everyone has enough blood for natural disasters. I believe that the school also gets positive feedback from the community due to lasting, positive impacts a blood drive has on the community.”