By Maddie Papcun ─ Staff Reporter

On Halloween, the Jonathan Law Keyette Club partnered with the Red Cross to host another triumphant blood drive in Law’s old gym.

While it was neither the first blood drive to occur at Law, nor the first time the Keyettes have worked with the local Red Cross, this year’s event was extremely successful and beneficial to the community. 

“I’d say the blood drive was definitely a success this year because often during the fall season not a lot of seniors have reached the required age to donate,” senior Keyette officer Sandra Chaghin said. “Also, we received an email from the Red Cross that stated we had both higher turnout rates and lower deferral rates than usual, so all in all the day was full of good news.”

Eligibility requirements can be tricky to meet in high school, as donors must be at least 17 years old or older, thus eliminating underclassmen from participating. Additionally, participants have to meet certain height and weight requirements, among other specific rules involving recent piercings or time spent outside the country.

“The most surprising part about donating blood was how many different ways you can be determined ineligible for blood donation,” senior and first time-donor Nick Shugrue said. “You could be ineligible for something like getting a piercing within a year prior, so you have to make sure you meet all the requirements beforehand.” 

Nerves surrounding donating blood made getting participants to sign up difficult for the Keyettes. 

“We try to educate the Keyettes about what it is like to donate blood and the impact it can have on saving lives, so that they can convince people that may be nervous about signing up,” Keyettes advisor Mrs. Hull said. 

On the day of the drive, 22 people from the Jonathan Law community were able to donate blood successfully. A few other people were signed up to donate, but were deferred due to safety requirements not being met. 

“We were very proud of our donor turnout this year,” senior Keyette officer Sam Papcun said. “The Red Cross representatives were very pleased with the results, and personally the Keyette Club reached their goal number of donors, which can be hard to do, as not everyone who signs up will necessarily donate on the day of the drive.”

The Keyette Club has hosted these blood drives since 2001 to increase community involvement. The Red Cross representatives work hard to make it a pleasurable experience for all donors, but the event would not happen without willing participants. 

“By hosting a blood drive at Law, the Keyette Club hoped to accomplish a community service and therefore create an atmosphere of generosity that is so integral to the Jonathan Law community,” Chalghin said. “Moreover, the biggest accomplishment is giving to a noble cause, especially since America is currently in a crisis related to the recent Hurricane Dorian.”

The Keyette Club worked very hard to get the blood drive up and running this year, even volunteering on the day of the event. In hosting the drive on Halloween, more students are eligible to donate, as it was during the break between the fall and winter sports seasons, but the club still has ideas for improvements.

“This year I helped recruit students and teachers to donate and gave out snacks and drinks to people who donated blood on the day of the drive,” junior Keyette member Jenna Hanson said. “I hope to bring more attention to the teachers about the blood drive because many teachers seemed interested by didn’t know too much about it.” 

Luckily, Jonathan Law’s Keyette Club has no plans to stop running this annual blood drive in the future. With the recent success, the club hopes to increase donor turnout even more in the years to come. 

“To students still on the fence about donating blood I would say it’s not as big of a deal as it seems to be,” senior Keyette member and second-time donor Laney Smith said. “Being scared is holding many people back from helping patients who could possibly be saved with your donation.”