Red Cross Club hosted its annual Spring Blood Drive on March 5.

Red Cross Club officers, seniors Emily Goetz, Lynsie Hansen, Maddie Lohmeyer, Yesenia Moldonado and Taylor Weidenhaft and junior Alicia Feyerherm, volunteered throughout the entirety of the drive.

Instructor Erin Deenihan was the adult sponsor of the drive due to RCC sponsor Jayme Goetz being on maternity leave.

Members of the Red Cross Club volunteered throughout the day in hour-long increments. Volunteers walked around and visited with students while they were getting their blood drawn.

For some students, such as junior Audrey Irvin, this was their first-time donating blood.

“I was really nervous,” Irvin said. “Kaitlyn [Suppes] convinced me to donate, and it’s a really good cause and good opportunity, so I decided to give it a try.”

Other students who signed up to donate were unable to do so once they got to the drive.

“They tried to draw blood out of one of my arms, but there was an issue so they tried my other arm, and they couldn’t get enough blood to go through, so I wasn’t able to donate,” junior Alicia Phlieger said.

Emily Goetz said she has tried three different times to donate blood, but she has never been able to do so because of an iron deficiency.

Junior Adisyn Jacobs, on the other hand, has never had issues donating and has donated at the last three blood drives.

“I love that Hays High puts on a blood drive,” Jacobs said. “I think it’s great because some people may not be able to go out to the other places where blood drives are held to donate, and so by having it in the school, it makes it really convenient for students to donate if they choose to, and giving blood is really important.”

21afeyerherm@usd489.com