Moorestown High School’s Interact Club’s blood drive collected 47 pints of blood on Tuesday, Aug. 29.
Moorestown High School’s Interact Club’s blood drive took on a new meaning as a steady influx of willing donors came to offer their time and blood with Hurricane Harvey acting as the impetus to lend a hand for several in attendance at the event held in the high school’s cafeteria on Tuesday, Aug. 29.
Interact Club advisor Elizabeth Everette, an English teacher at MHS, said the goal was to raise 30 pints of blood, but with donation signup slots filled nearly the entirety of the day, the club’s goal was easily surpassed, with the American Red Cross collecting 47 pints.
Everette said the goal of Interact is to get students engaged in community service. The club’s projects include charity work and fundraising events, and each year, the Interact Club holds four blood drives.
With school starting on Tuesday, Sept. 5, the summer drive is one of the club’s kick-off events to the school year.
“Giving back in any way that you can is important,” Everette said. “Giving blood is an an easy way to help somebody else and save a life. It’s important to introduce it to high school students.”
Mobile phlebotomist Shalaya Salaam said blood donations tend to drop during the summer. She said donations spike again during the school year when schools begin to regularly host blood drives, but the Red Cross is experiencing its summer dropoff. For that reason, Salaam was particularly surprised by the steady influx of donors throughout the day.
“I think the hurricane had something to do with people being so [adamant] of giving blood because they feel like they can help somebody in need,” Salaam said.
Maple Shade resident Mike Osterhoudt came to donate Tuesday after making a donation toward Hurricane Harvey relief through the American Red Cross. He said he was on the Red Cross’ website Monday night and it occurred to him that he had never donated blood before. With the turmoil in Texas in mind, Osterhoudt said he looked for the nearest place to donate and wound up in Moorestown High School’s cafeteria the following day.
“There are needs; there are things like what’s going on in Texas right now, and there are needs to help out other humans,” Osterhoudt said.
Bill Matulewicz of Delran echoed Osterhoudt’s sentiment. Matulewicz, a regular donor, said devastating events often remind people of the need to get involved.
“An event like the Houston flooding focuses everyone’s attention on these events,” Matulewicz said. “To the extent that they catalyze community involvement, that’s a good thing despite the fact that so many people are negatively impacted by it.”
Interact member Jillian Calhoun, an incoming junior at MHS, checked people in at Tuesday’s blood drive. She said she was eager to spend one of her last days of summer giving back.
“It helps to give back to people,” Calhoun said. “I think it’s important because we have so much here in Moorestown and to do a little something is nice.”
Vidya Krishnamurthy, a blood services volunteer with the American Red Cross, said she was excited she did not see an empty donation bed nearly the entire day. She said the blood collected at Tuesday’s drive will be distributed to local hospitals.
Krishnamurthy said blood drives at schools frequently get students donating early. With one donation saving up to three lives, donating is a “noble thing to do,” Krishnamurthy said.
“Most of our donors have started giving blood from a school and then they kind of continue it,” Krishnamurthy said.
Dan Carrigan, whose daughter was chairman of Interact’s blood drives when she attended MHS back in 2013, said he got started donating blood through MHS’ blood drives. He said the blood drives give students “a real sense of purpose.”
“They can get engaged in an activity that helps all of mankind,” Carrigan said.
