Last month, PEACE Core partnered with Vitalant to collect blood donations from students over 16 years old.

Sophomore Mykenna Roy thought the experience was both exhausting and rewarding. She said, “I didn’t have the best experience with donating blood because I found it uncomfortable and I felt weak and dizzy for a few days afterwards. Although, I would definitely do it again because temporary discomfort is well worth possibly saving someone’s life.”

For junior Kyla Chercourt, the experience was very new to her. She said, “I decided to donate blood to help people. I’ve never donated blood before, so it was convenient that we had a blood drive. I don’t think I would have donated blood if it hadn’t been at our school, so I’m happy that I had the opportunity.”

The lead adviser who organized the event was Tina Monastero, who thought the event showed how generous and willing the students at Mayfield can be. She said, “Talking to the gentleman who is in charge from Vitalant, [he] said that we have one of the best blood drives in the area and we recruit the most kids. So to me, that’s a good thing knowing that our kids are willing to give back to the community and help others.”

For Roy, the whole experience was about giving back to others in the community and potentially saving lives. She said, “Personally, I have the universal blood type, O-, and I know hospitals need that type more in emergency situations, so I donated in hopes of helping someone who needed blood. I love being able to help people, and I thought this would be a great way to do so.”

Monastero wants students to be reminded that their donation, something as little as a few pints of their blood, can save lives. She said, “So it really doesn’t cost them anything, and I think it helps kids realize that little things can help somebody. As for the school, it just shows the community and shows people how generous our kids are, and how willing they are to help others.”

Roy also believes every donation from every person matters. She said, “Each person who donated could have saved someone’s life, so the blood drive was quite substantial for local hospitals.”

Chercourt admits she was persuaded that one blood donation can save three people’s lives. She said, “I noticed that there were people donating blood all throughout the school day, and it was inspiring to see so many people helping.”

In terms of partnering with the company Vitalant, Monastero believes that their company’s methods of making the experience more personalized and meaningful has created a greater impact on the school and the students. Monastero said, “Firstly, we switched over to Vitalant over the Red Cross this year because the blood that our students donate stays within our community. Also, our students, when they give blood and it is being used, they will get a text saying ‘Your blood was used today to save somebody,’ so it brings more meaning to it because it’s one thing in donating your blood and not realizing that someone ever used.

“But getting that text that says ‘Hey, someone used my blood,’ it’s a pretty awesome feeling for kids. Last year, a girl I had in a class was practically in tears when she received that text,” Monastero said. “Another reason is that we are able to give away more scholarships with money that we get from Vitalant – for every 25 donors, we get a $500 scholarship to give to one of our seniors.”

Whether the students donating earn scholarships or get a positive feeling from their donation, Roy thinks the blood drive is great for everyone involved. She said, “I think it’s a positive way for the kids to give back to their community and help those in need. It feels good coming together and helping people out, especially if you know you could save a life.”