The Red Cross club worked with the Red Cross to organize a blood drive yesterday. According to Red Cross account manager Jessica Amaro, the aim of the drive was to collect 40 pints of blood to save 120 patients.

“I really like to educate the public on why there’s a need,” Amaro said. “I came out here, and I talked to [the Red Cross club] about the importance of it, why it’s needed, having a diverse blood supply and things of that nature”

20 percent of the blood Red Cross collects comes from high school and college students. The Red Cross club has been planning this drive since November. 

“I think it’s important because it helps a lot of people,” club member Ayah Sibai said. “You don’t really have to do much to do it. It only takes like five minutes and it helps a lot. It’s also different than just donating and other things which everyone can do. It just shows that you care about other people.”

The club organizes a blood drive every year, typically once a semester. The club helps Red Cross recruit people to donate and organize the drive itself.

“I think [you need to] prepare yourself mentally for this kind of stuff,” junior Noel Abitzen said. “I think it’s worth it, even if you’re nervous, because you’re helping people.”

This year, the club has a new sponsor and reached more people by posting on social media. Sibai said the club has grown since then and giving blood counted has service hours, which it has not been in past years.

“I feel like it was promoted a bit more [this year],” Sibai said. “In the past like it was kind of ignored by a lot of clubs, so I was glad it was counted as a service hour, because it really should be.”

Junior Soren Norquay said he learned about the drive through students’ Snapchat stories.

“It doesn’t feel like anything special,” Norquay said. “I just want to help people out. It feels like a normal day for me. I’m not going to brag about it because I feel like anyone can do this. You don’t need to brag about it.”