by Andy Ortiz

Last Thursday’s annual Blood Drive showcased the kindness of the St. John Bosco High School community with many Braves donating their blood to those in need.

The blood was delivered to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a nonprofit healthcare organization that serves the Los Angeles community. They are home to world-renowned physicians and industry leading technology. Their goal is to “set new standards for quality and innovation in patient care.”

Any students 17 and older were able to walk into the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) to donate their blood.

For many years, Bosco and this hospital have been working together organizing the annual Blood Drives.

As for the Blood Drive itself, it began accepting students at 8:30am. Each Brave donated one pint of blood, which is enough to help and save three whole lives. By around 10:00am, the Blood Drive had already received 13 donors. 

Students who finished donating were resting at a table by the side until they were well enough to return to class. They were treated to light refreshments and a free t-shirt for their generosity.

“My mom and grandma have donated in the past, so I want to as well,” said junior Abraham Castellanos. 

Darleen Garcia was a volunteer at the Blood Drive and helped manage all of the drive’s affairs.

“Donating blood can save lives. People get into emergencies where they are losing blood, so we need blood ready to go for those people,” said Garcia. “Blood helps with injuries, accidents, emergencies. Even babies need blood.”

The blood drive went all the way until 2:30pm. By the end of the day, the drive received a grand total of 32 donors for 32 pints of blood collected, even more than the year prior.

Theology teacher Mr. Kris Tran, the organizer of the event, echoed Garcia’s concerns.

“There are many people waiting for blood of their type, but there often isn’t enough for emergencies. It gets very difficult waiting for blood transfusions,” said Mr. Tran.

Mr. Tran explained how his vision for the Blood Drive is for it to be something that people want to donate out of the goodness of their hearts. He hopes that it is something that people want to celebrate, instead of feeling obligated to contribute.

“The donors are the real heroes because they help contribute to the saving of lives,” said Mr. Tran.

According to Mr. Tran, this year’s Blood Drive was nothing short of a success, namely because there were many more donors this year than last year. However, he stated that there can always be more blood, as Cedars-Sinai is reportedly able to accept up to 80 donors a day.

Nevertheless, Mr. Tran is very proud of the Brave community for their help this year and looks forward to receiving even more donors next year.