Students save up to three lives by donating a single pint of blood at Friday’s blood drive.

Anyone 16 or older, with a parent’s permission, could take part in the blood drive located in the small gym.

“Students can donate blood to LifeSource Blood Bank which is the major provider of donated blood in the Chicagoland area. So a lot of local hospitals have a shortage of blood for blood transfusions, people who are in accidents, things like that, ” Interact Club adviser Gavin Engel said.

Every year a large number of students show up to the Interact Club sponsored event.   

“We usually average between 100 to 150 donations which is phenomenal. I think it’s a great thing to be able to do,” Engel said.

Interact Club has hosted this annual life saving blood drive for over 10 years. A previous Interact Club adviser created the event.

“Mr. Rau started this with Key Club which became Interact Club. He started it as a community service project within the school as a way to give back,” Engel said.

The staff at the event makes sure to make the donation process as comfortable as possible.

“They have very trained, professional staff that will take the blood. They do an interview with all the students ahead of time. They take their blood pressure and look at their iron levels to make sure that it’s appropriate for them to donate blood. Afterwards, there’s a refreshment table. They don’t get released until we know that they’re good to go,” Engel said.

Although the staff does their best to make the environment as comfortable as possible, there are a couple of students who are overcomed.

“We have fainting, it does happen. It scares students because a lot of people have misconceptions about all that’s involved. The LifeSource staff is really good with recognizing that. The students will recover pretty quickly,” Engel said.  

Regardless of whether or not a student was eligible to donate blood, free T-shirts were handed out to students that attend the event.

“If you go through the process and LifeSource determines you can’t donate that day, you’ll still get a free T-shirt. We think it’s great for students to take time out of their busy schedules to donate and if it’s something that’s out of their control, we still want to have them benefit,” Engel said.

Interact Club strongly encouraged students to participate in the event.

“Even though you may not know who you are saving or what family you’re helping out, it’s good to know that you’re benefiting multiple people. It’s a simple way to help others,” Engel said.

Interact Club will host another blood drive on April 21.