Crockett breaks the (blood) bank
Students at David Crockett High School beat a regional record last week, collecting more than 200 pints of blood for the American Red Cross during an in-school blood drive on Friday. By doing so, they defeated East Tennessees previous record of 190 pints, which was also set by the county high school.
Weve never not met our goal, said Lori Grabner, a teacher at the school and drive leader. I am the adult sponsor, but my students really run the whole drive.
Crocketts Health Occupations Students of America, or HOSA, sponsored last weeks blood drive, spending the day manning tables, signing people in and taking care of donors.
In the weeks leading up to the drive, many HOSA members spent time recruiting blood donors.
We asked freshmen to find one person to donate, sophomores to find two people, juniors to find five and seniors to find 10, Grabner said. They didnt all get that many, but they did pretty well.
Weve had a lot of parents and community people come and a lot of students.
Crockett senior Kayla Sproles was among those recruited to donate blood last week.
Ive never given blood before, said Sproles immediately after donating. Im glad I did, though, because its a way I can save somebody.
Brandon Sumner, a junior at Crockett, said he always gives blood.
This is my fifth time, he said. I do it to save lives.
According to Gwen Hunter, a donor recruitment representative with the American Red Cross, the three annual blood drives at Crockett are extremely helpful to the organization and give a much-needed boost to the regions blood supply.
The American Red Cross is charged by Congress to provide blood to anyone who needs it at any time. To collect this much blood on any given day really ensures well have it available, Hunter said. Plus, getting kids to give blood is really important. If they start donating at a young age, they tend to become lifelong donors.
The drive at Crockett is the largest high school blood drive in the East Tennessee area, Hunter said.
And its steadily growing, too, she said. A couple of years ago they were collecting 50 units. Now theyre over 200. These students really do a fantastic job.